Two Buddhist monks chanted a mantra from the ambo of a Catholic church during the funeral of a Buddhist woman held on August 20 in Como, northern Italy. The parish priest participated wearing an alb and stole and stated during his intervention that the deceased had found her search for God in “Buddha, the Enlightened One.” After the case became public, the Diocese of Como clarified that the commemoration should have taken place elsewhere and that it was held without the authorization of the diocesan Ordinary.
The ceremony was held at the church of San Martino, in the Rebbio neighborhood, and was convened following the death on August 17 of Marta Pezzati, aged 59. President of the association Como Accoglie, Pezzati was known in the city for her work in support of immigrants and other people in vulnerable situations. The announcement circulated after her death explicitly stated her “funeral” for the morning of the 20th in the Catholic church.
During the event, two Buddhist monks intervened, reciting a mantra from the ambo. Videos later released also show the parish priest of San Martino, Giusto Della Valle, and another priest dressed in alb and stole.
One of the participating monks later offered a different interpretation of the nature of the ceremony. In statements to La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, he asserted that “it was not a Mass nor a funeral,” but a remembrance of Pezzati’s generosity, and maintained that there was no liturgy or Catholic prayer.
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