The Vatican has removed a controversial Italian priest known for his radical pro-migrant activism from his pastoral duties in two Tuscany parishes, following years of legal disputes and complaints about unsanitary conditions at his church, the Holy See confirmed Thursday.
Father Massimo Biancalani, 62, had served for over a decade at the parishes of Santa Maria Maggiore a Vicofaro and San Niccolò a Ramini in Pistoia, a city in the central Italian region of Tuscany. Italian media outlets widely dubbed him the “Migrants’ Father” for his outspoken pro-migrant stance and his practice of sheltering large numbers of illegal migrants on church grounds, hosting as many as 200 at a time, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Biancalani’s actions put him at the center of repeated controversies and legal clashes over recent years, culminating in the Vatican’s decision this week to strip him of his pastoral role at both parishes.
Parishioner Complaints and Health Inspections
Over the past year, local parishioners and residents repeatedly denounced poor sanitation and other irregularities caused by Biancalani’s mass reception of migrants at Vicofaro. Many parishioners reportedly abandoned the parish in response to the priest’s actions—a trend Biancalani himself acknowledged in comments to reporters on Wednesday.
A rigorous inspection by local health authorities last year found the parish facilities in extremely unsanitary conditions, along with evidence of multiple fire hazards and a high risk of infectious diseases. That situation prompted Pistoia Mayor Alessandro Tomasi to request the police eviction of the 176 migrants who were being housed at Vicofaro in June 2025.
Italian outlets reported at the time that not all the migrants agreed to be transferred to other locations, which forced Bishop Fausto Tardelli to request further police intervention. According to SkyTG24, the remaining migrants were eventually evicted in July 2025.
Bishop Tardelli also revoked Biancalani’s legal representation of the parish, accusing him of obstructing the eviction. The priest, however, continued his pastoral service until his removal by the Vatican this week.
A Priest’s Legal Battles and a Vatican Ruling
Bishop Tardelli had initially sought to transfer Biancalani to another location as a solution to the tense situation, but the priest refused the transfer. Instead, Biancalani filed two appeals to the Holy See—one contesting the loss of his legal representation of Vicofaro and the other objecting to the transfer orders.
Both appeals were rejected by the Holy See this week, which also removed Biancalani from pastoral duties at the two parishes. According to Italian outlets, the priest now has up to sixty days to file an appeal against his removal.
Biancalani said he was “disappointed” by the decision, admitting he had known about it for about two weeks. He told reporters on Wednesday that he would have preferred a different outcome, particularly regarding the parish of Ramini, saying, “We had expected, and had been led to believe a different outcome.”
The priest also acknowledged that the Vicofaro parish has suffered from a decline in attendance and sacraments as a result of his housing of migrants, but he insisted that this was due to public fears rather than his actions. “This has been known for some time because, unfortunately, welcoming migrants triggers fears,” he said.
Salvini’s Reaction and the Broader Debate
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has been a vocal critic of Biancalani’s pro-migrant actions, reacted to the removal in a brief social media post. “The priest of the illegal migrants leaves Vicofaro. Time is a gentleman,” Salvini wrote.
Biancalani responded sharply to Salvini’s taunt, telling ANSA: “He’s always done that, day in and day out. It’s part of his style and his approach, which is unspeakable and highly irresponsible.”
The priest defended his work, saying that what he did in Vicofaro and Ramini was “a wonderful thing” that was misunderstood even within the Church. He argued that providing shelter to migrants—including fifty “vulnerable” migrant children still housed at the Ramini parish—was a necessary service. “Is it better to have a young person living alone, unemployed, or with expired documents in a facility that takes care of him, or to have him on the streets?” he asked.
Biancalani said he had not yet informed the migrants at Ramini of his removal, fearing it would cause them “another trauma, having to leave and end up back on the streets.” He noted, however, that those who could read Italian had seen the newspapers and sensed that something was amiss.
His broader criticism extended to the Italian political class, saying: “In Italy it’s becoming increasingly difficult to provide shelter. The right is fine with this system, but the center-left has also had many opportunities to reform it, yet it hasn’t done so because they fear losing public support.”
The Vatican’s decision marks the latest chapter in a long-running conflict between the priest and church authorities, with the Holy See ultimately siding with Bishop Tardelli in a dispute that has polarized local communities and drawn national attention.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/08/20/italy-vatican-removes-controversial-pro-migrant-priest-who-housed-migrants-inside-church/