Italian church fined €1,300 for noisy bells
An Italian priest has reacted with shock on being fined over €1,300 for the noisy ringing of his church bells, putting an end to a centuries-old tradition.
The priest in Pramaggiore, in north-east Italy, was fined after the regional environmental protection agency registered an intolerable level of noise pollution ringing out from his church.
The result was a €1,312 fine, the priest told parishioners at mass on Sunday.
The sanction is thought to stem from a complaint by an unhappy resident, Corriere del Veneto reported.
“It was probably a citizen who only settled in the village a short while ago,” the priest told the newspaper.
“To control the problem and not run into more hefty fines, I’ve limited the duration of the sound of the bells, which in the centuries-old tradition lasted a few minutes.
“Now it’s been fixed to just 60 seconds. The experts think that this way we’ll be able to stay within the authorized limits of noise pollution,” the priest said.
Parishioners have thrown their full support behind the priest, who will appeal against the fine.
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The priest in Pramaggiore, in north-east Italy, was fined after the regional environmental protection agency registered an intolerable level of noise pollution ringing out from his church.
The result was a €1,312 fine, the priest told parishioners at mass on Sunday.
The sanction is thought to stem from a complaint by an unhappy resident, Corriere del Veneto reported.
“It was probably a citizen who only settled in the village a short while ago,” the priest told the newspaper.
“To control the problem and not run into more hefty fines, I’ve limited the duration of the sound of the bells, which in the centuries-old tradition lasted a few minutes.
“Now it’s been fixed to just 60 seconds. The experts think that this way we’ll be able to stay within the authorized limits of noise pollution,” the priest said.
Parishioners have thrown their full support behind the priest, who will appeal against the fine.
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