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“No Teenager Should Ever Be Written Off”: Priest Calls for Education and Accountability After Riots in Italy
Following looting and clashes in northern Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has introduced tougher penalties, including fines for parents. An Italian bishops’ conference education official is calling for clear boundaries, accountability and sustained support for young people.
CHURCH IN ITALY
Ana Paula Morales (Poli)
10/29/20263 min read
Contenido de mi publicación
ITALY — Shattered storefronts, looted businesses and clashes with police in northern Italy have sparked a debate that goes beyond public safety: How should society respond when teenagers engage in violence, and what responsibility do adults bear? Against this backdrop, Father Alberto Gastaldi, an education official with the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the body representing the country’s Catholic bishops, is calling for an approach that holds young offenders accountable without giving up on their future, according to Reuters.
His reflection, published October 28 on the Italian bishops’ conference website, follows unrest during the weekend of October 17–18. According to Italian news agency ANSA, groups of young people gathered again in Milan following calls circulated on social media, smashing storefront windows and looting businesses. Disturbances were also reported in Turin and Bologna.
The Italian government responded on October 20 with a new package of security measures. As Reuters reported, the measures increased penalties for violent acts committed during demonstrations, introduced financial liability for parents whose minor children cause property damage, and provided for the deployment of 500 additional military personnel in Milan through the end of the year.
“Those who break things must pay, and if the person responsible is a minor, their parents must pay,” Meloni said while presenting the initiative, according to ANSA. The Italian prime minister explained that the mechanism was intended to make it easier to recover compensation for damage to both public and private property.
In addition to compensation for damages, the measures establish administrative fines for parents. According to Sky TG24, the approved legislation provides for fines ranging from 500 to 1,000 euros in certain cases involving violence or property damage committed by minors, unless parents or legal guardians can demonstrate that they were unable to prevent the acts. For repeat offenses, fines increase to between 1,000 and 2,000 euros. These administrative penalties are separate from any obligation to compensate victims for property damage.
Father Gastaldi’s intervention brings another form of responsibility into focus: the responsibility to educate. While he acknowledges that protecting people and enforcing rules are essential, the priest argues that society must also examine the examples and guidance adults provide to young people. “We do not need perfect adults. […] We need credible adults,” he writes. Such credibility, he explains, means keeping promises, acknowledging mistakes and establishing boundaries without abandoning a young person who has done something wrong.
His message challenges families, schools, public institutions, sports organizations and Christian communities alike. Gastaldi emphasizes the importance of spending meaningful time with young people and reaching out to those who have become disconnected from educational activities, withdrawn from community life or rejected opportunities for guidance. “No teenager should be considered a lost cause,” he insists. His statement does not explicitly mention Meloni, nor is it presented as a direct response to the government’s decree.
Concerns about youth isolation also featured prominently in remarks by Pope Leo XIV on October 22. During an audience focused on Catholic ministry in schools and universities, the pope spoke about struggling families, digital isolation and uncertainty about the future. “Many walk through the hallways of our schools and universities, perhaps feeling anonymous,” he warned, according to Vatican News. He urged educational institutions to become places where every student is known and welcomed, and encouraged educators to cultivate compassion and a spirit of service.
For Father Gastaldi, meaningful support must begin long before a teenager reaches a crisis point. It means listening, offering guidance, setting boundaries, entrusting young people with responsibilities and standing by them even after they fail.
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