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A parish priest truly original

Pré Regazzoni was very worried that morning of 22 October 1566 while waiting to be ushered into the presence of the cardinal who had sent him to call after the initial startup.

In truth, he had already begun to worry about the previous day, when the visitor and his collaborators, inspecting the sacristy, had found, stored in a closet, two large particles consecrated, old and corroded by worms. At the time the cardinal had not made comments, merely to record the discovery to his secretary, but it was clear to the pastor of St. Brigid that this time he would not have got away with it, nor for this lack, nor to those that some parishioners had gone to report to Borromeo, who for three days was on a pastoral visit to his parish.

Pré Antonio Regazzoni was pastor of St. Brigid well as thirty-one years and his long ministry was due to frequent disputes with the parishioners.

The contrasts were so heightened that at some point the community leaders had done convene in Venice by the civil authorities to respond to a series of allegations about the management of the parish. But if he felt she could go to the lagoon city, stating that he did not have the means, and that he was too old to deal with such a long journey. For this reason he had been deprived of the right to celebrate Mass and had been forced to leave Santa Brigida. Then he took refuge in Valtorta and then to Lecco and was returned to his parish only after acquittal, pronounced a couple of years ago by the vicar of civil Bergamo.

Disagreements with the parishioners were not, however, dormant, indeed, had been exacerbated by other defamatory accusations that were circulating about certain behaviors of the pastor. What better occasion of his pastoral visit to put on the table all the outstanding issues? So they thought the directors of the parish that, questioned by Cardinal, had spilled the beans. But Regazzoni had reason to believe that they would not have kept quiet even his countrymen of Valtorta, where he was born in 1500 and where he was pastor from 1523 to the 1535, then giving up in favor of fellow countryman Baptist Regazzoni, but in return for an annuity of four gold crowns. Just in Valtorta had to answer a flagrant breach, having neglected the chaplain of the church of Saint Anthony Abbot to the Tower, for which he was handsomely paid. He had not then the least surprised, loan Antonio, that morning, last day of a pastoral visit, when he was called to report to the Cardinal in a room on the first floor of the rectory, used as an accom-modation of the visitor. In fact, the Borromeo had already raised such serious allegations against the pastor that they can not help but to instruct a real canonical process. And so, when the Regazzoni was in the presence of his superior and convisitatori who sat at his side, he was sure that the entire parish community was narrow in league against him to ruin him.

The first charge he was moved by Catherine of Trinale, a widow Redivo. She declared under oath that about fifteen years ago, the parish priest had demanded to be paid to go down to Redivo to baptize her newborn baby and life threatening. And she had disbursed its share as indeed seems often did the other parishioners. The fact was repeated, but with w »a big aggravating a few years later, when the woman had had another son, well not in good health and had sent word back to the parish priest to come and baptize. But Regazzoni had replied that he would not come down to Redivo, at most the baptism could be administered in the church of San Giacomo d'Averara. When the baby was brought to the church the priest was not there, but had left word that took him to Santa Brigida. Unfortunately, along the way the child was dead without receiving baptism.

The pastor denied that he ever claimed money to administer baptisms and other sacraments, However, he admitted that when he was asked to travel to distant locations, to baptize and celebrate Mass, wanted to be paid because it went beyond what was required of him and his pastoral duties, since it is subjected to constant discomfort, compensato.Negò also be considered right to know Catherine of Trinale and have never been called to Redivo for amministrarvi of baptisms.

Closed this first chapter, Cardinal went on to formulate a second accusation according to which the pastor had received from the community the sum of five hundred pounds to renounce the benefit parish: a clear case of simony. But the pastor firmly denied this circumstance, arguing that the sum had been paid by a mayor of the district, on behalf of the community, for restoration work carried out in the canonical. He admitted then that part of the community there was actually an attempt to make him renounce the office, which he had been refused.

The process came alive with a third and far more serious charge: according to various testimonies, prè Antonio had denied a religious funeral in such a Nicola, His par-rocchiano, who owed him thirty pounds and, as if that was not enough, had administered baptism in abridged form and without solemnity to a newborn, nephew of the same Nicholas. The pastor defended himself by saying that Nicola did not deserve funerals, because he had died in mortal sin: for years not approached the Sacraments and for more if he meant by his daughter in law, from whom he had even had a daughter. As for the baptism, what then the parents claimed? He had actually administered in the form hasty, but the fault was theirs because they were in dispute with him, did not want to pay certain plants purchased some time ago and in front of his claims had also sued in front of the vicar of the valley. The fourth indictment involved the attempt to bribe the parishioners when he was dismissed from Santa Brigida. According to someone he had promised to donate ten francs every year to the church if it had been built in his role. The Regazzoni also denied this accusation, stating that this offer had been made by him at the time of the first settlement in Santa Brigida, but only in order to change the mind of some who were opposed to his appointment.

At this point, before proceeding to the fifth and far more serious charge, Borromeo and his assistants subjected the priest to a meticulous assessment of its effective preparation in religious and priestly. It emerged the figure of a person of great intellectual and moral poverty, with superficial knowledge of the duties of the pastoral and canonical norms. In short, a priest who neglected his own ministry and not loved his parishioners. As for the two particles decomposed almost found the day before in the sacristy, the pastor could not provide a convincing explanation of this uncertainty and helped to strengthen in its interlocutors the impression of being in front of a person of few scruples and completely selfless things of the church. The culminating phase of the process about the accusations of concubinage. It was public knowledge that he had children by two different women, both married and one of these had been strangled by her husband out of jealousy. Read the charges and admonished by Cardinal to tell the truth, prè Antonio decided to admit a part of his faults: “Well, yes, I had a daughter from my parishioner named Angela, who was married and now she is a widow. This woman came and went quite freely from my home and it does so even now. My daughter is now fifteen years old and is studying in a monastery in Lecco. This is all, I did not have any more children”. But in the face of his interlocutors had to admit all'incalzare: “Angela From this I had another fi-cil, that today should be eighteen, I do not know what happened to. I also had another daughter but she died at a young age, the hospice where I'd put at my expense”.

Insisting the inquisitors asking if he had had relationships with other women, answered so affected: “Of my behavior in public, I already said everything, I only speak about my private life in confession!”. But the Cardinal did not give up and so calm, but resolute, led the pastor to spill the beans: “Really, first of those three I had another daughter from Isabetta Guarinoni of Muggiasca, who was married. But her husband could not bear him to attend one day of the rectory and 1544, after yet another quarrel, ran after her through the house, caught while trying escape to the roof and strangled her”. And so we closed the interview. At this point those who expect a heavy sentence, will be disappointed.

Il Borromeo, on the spot, merely to impose a fine of the pastor 250 scudi d’oro. Considerable sum, some, but well within the reach of a person who had to have money in one of the purposes of his life. No other penalty, no restriction in the priestly ministry, even transfer to another parish. The much venne destined, after several changes of mind, at three different purposes: fifty crowns were assigned to the mayors of the parish because allocating them to interventions on behalf of the church; hundred crowns went in favor of the seminar Somasca, established to train young aspirants to the priesthood, but without means. The remaining hundred crowns served to provide a dowry for some grandchildren of Regazzoni, residents in Valtorta, all poor and at an early age. Do not believe, however, that the pastor decides to change his life: as soon as the Borromeo had left the parish, began to complain against the decrees from the pulpit and in general did not show a willingness to undertake a lifestyle more suited to his ministry. Indeed, intensified absences from the country and introduced even appeal to the Apostolic Nuncio in Venice against the sentence considered excessive. A Santa Brigida remained for seven years, then in 1573 became pastor of Mezzoldo, then moved to Cusio. In 1578 obtained permission to retire to private life and settled in Lecco.