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Tehran 20 March_They come to bless those suffering the most from the novel coronavirus. And then, more and more often, Italy's priests die themselves.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_The diocese of Bergamo northeast of Milan appears to have been ravaged the most by the stealth killer. At least 10 of its priests have died of COVID-19, the Catholic daily Avvenire reported Thursday.
The deaths, whether of priests or members of their communities, are “so numerous that it is difficult to count,” the paper wrote.
Five more fatalities were registered in the city of Parma. Still more virus-related deaths emerged among priests in Brescia, Cremona, and the northern industrial hub of Milan itself.
All these parishes are clustered in Italy’s north, the virus’ target from the day the Catholic country’s first death was reported four weeks ago.
More than 3,400 Italians have died of the virus since then.
Italy has taken over the grim title of being the global epicenter of the pandemic from China, where COVID-19 was first reported in late December.
Like doctors
Like doctors, Italy’s priests come in contact with the disease’s most serious cases.
And like doctors, priests are known to congregate among themselves in close quarters, creating the perfect conditions for contagion.
A count by Italy’s ANSA news agency on Thursday put the number of medics killed by the disease at 13.
Figures reported by Italian media suggest the death toll among priests is higher. At least 18 priests have been reported killed.
“Dressed in a mask, a cap, gloves, a robe and protective glasses, we priests walk around the halls like zombies,” Father Claudio del Monte told Italy’s Adnkronos news agency.
Del Monte has a parish in Bergamo, a walled, hillside city of 120,000, with square towers and slanted terracotta roofs familiar to tourists of many scenic Italian towns.
Its province is now Italy’s worst affected. With 4,634 infections as of Friday, it had piled up 11 percent of all of Italy’s cases.
Its population accounts for just 0.2 percent of Italy’s total.
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