(Facebook)

When a priest in Italy discovered blasphemous graffiti on the wall of his church, he responded to the vandals with an open letter on Facebook which has gone viral.

Churchpop is reporting on the episode that occurred last week when an unknown person vandalized the Church of St. Michael and St. Rita in Italy last week.  In bold red spray-paint, the graffiti read: “Free abortion (also for Mary).”

The vandal was obviously going for the maximum in shock-value, but he got much more than he bargained for. A priest named Fr. Andrea responded by posting an open letter on Facebook which gave the culprit a loving but well-deserved scolding.

The translated text of the letter follows:

Dear anonymous wall-writer,

I’m sorry you couldn’t take an example from your mother. She had courage. She conceived you, carried on the pregnancy and gave birth to you. She could have aborted you. But she didn’t. She raised you, fed you, washed you, and dressed you. And now you have a life and freedom. A freedom you’re using to tell us that it would be better if people like you weren’t supposed to be in this world.

I’m sorry, but I disagree. And I really admire your mom because she was brave. And she still is, because, like every mom, she’s proud of you, even if you’re acting badly, because she knows that there’s still good inside you.

Abortion makes nonsense of everything. Death wins against life. Abortion is letting fear control a heart that normally wants to fight and live, not die. It is choosing who has the right to live and who does not, as if it were a simple right. It’s an ideology that takes away all hope.

You obviously have no courage. Since you’re anonymous.

And while we’re at it, I’d also like to tell you that our neighborhood has already experienced a lot of problems, and we don’t need people to vandalize the walls and ruin the little beauty we have left.

You want to prove yourself brave? Then improve the world instead of destroying it. Give love instead of hate. Help those in suffering to endure their sorrows. And give life instead of taking it! This is real bravery!

Luckily our neighborhood, which you destroy, is full of brave people! Who can love you too, you who don’t even know what you write!

Signed, Fr. Andrea

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