A 35-year-old woman kicked her husband out of the house to have a relationship with Father Antonio Scala, 58, on the island of Ischia, southern Italy. The case was revealed by the local press last weekend, indicating that the man was thrown out of the residence before Christmas.
The couple met at the island's church, where the woman worked as a cleaner. Their quick involvement culminated in the beginning of a romantic relationship that led the priest to resign from his ecclesiastical duties.
The diocese of Ischia confirmed that Monsignor Carlo Villano, the local bishop, accepted the resignation of Scala, who left the leadership of the parish and his position as vice-director of the diocesan Caritas, according to the Corriere Del Mezzogiorno.
This is not the first case of its kind in the region. In 2018, another priest left the church after getting a young churchgoer pregnant. The episode reopens the debate on clerical celibacy and its challenges.
