Bishop asks forgiveness of Down's Syndrome child (Italy).

Messina, Italy--On Sunday, March 26, an 80-year-old Sicilian parish priest humiliated Pieruccio, an 11-year-old boy suffering from Down's Syndrome in front of all his catechism companions, by telling him that he would not hear his confession before First Communion, because "one cannot cast pearls before swine."

The boy stood staring, with a candle in his hand, unable to understand why he was not being treated like his friends. The faithful left the church one by one until it was empty and the priest, Fr. Nino Romano, who has been in the parish for over 50 years and has had other incidents with his faithful, sought refuge in the sacristy.

The indignation of the parishioners, however, was heard by Bishop Giovanni Marra of Messina who, without giving the matter a second thought, went to Pieruccio's home to hear his confession. When he arrived, he embraced the child, gave him a Rosary blessed by the Holy Father and said: "The Pope has asked the world for forgiveness, and I now ask you. I ask you for forgiveness on behalf of the whole Church."

Pieruccio will now receive his First Holy Communion with all his friends on May 28. "The bishop has demonstrated that the Church has changed," the boy's father commented, while Pieruccio ran down the stairs with a big smile and a Rosary blessed by the Pope in his hands.

The bishop admitted that the parish priest had made a "mistake." As regards the doubts that arise in such cases, the Bishop of Como explained, "In the abstract, I would say that if a child is unable to understand, it is useless to give him the sacrament of confession. If he cannot understand, he cannot sin and, therefore, retains the grace of Baptism. But this is not Pieruccio's case. This boy is well integrated with his school friends, and therefore knows what he is doing and understands the value of his actions. In a word, he knows whether he is doing good or evil."