A man entered the sacristy of a Roman basilica on January 7 and used a broken bottle to attack two priests.Worshippers at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore heard shouts from the sacristy as a 42-year-old man cut the faces of Father Angelo Gaeta, the sacristan, and Father Adolfo Ralf.
Police soon apprehended the perpetrator.
The victims, according to Italy’s state radio and television network, are priests of the Franciscian Friars of Immaculate who have been critical of the institute’s founder, Father Stefano Maria Manelli.
The network reported that the attacker’s motive was unknown and that he may have been psychologically disturbed.
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