Church in Brignano Gera d’Adda
A small town in Northern Italy has enacted a ban on profanity after a local priest complained.
The priest in Brignano Gera d’Adda campaigned to outlaw swearing after hearing too many oaths against God. The mayor, Valerio Moro, agreed to the ban, saying: “We live in a Catholic country and we want a certain decorum to be kept in places of worship and leisure.”
The ban covers more than just profanities against God in church, it condemns anyone “of any religion, ethnicity, and provenance” from using vulgarities that reference any religious figures, in public or in private.
Predominately Catholic, Italy actually considered casual public profanity a misdemeanor felony until 1999, though the law was rarely enforced.
The strict ban to preserve public decorum in Brignana Gera d’Adda follows similar new laws that are being enacted across Italian towns, such as the mini-skirt ban in Castellammare di Stabia.
