VATICAN: Pope Benedict's decision to turn the screws on Franciscan monks in Assisi - considered too radical by some Italian Catholics - has provoked a political storm in Italy as the country approaches national elections.
Benedict at the weekend issued a rare decree curbing the autonomy of the monks who are the guardians of the body of St Francis and who welcome millions of visitors from around the world to his burial place in the central Umbria region.
The decree by the conservative Pope put the monks under control of three people - the local bishop, a Vatican cardinal, and the head of the Italian bishops' conference.
The move marked the first attempt by Benedict to discipline a religious order and revoked another decree issued by Pope Paul VI in 1969 which gave the Assisi monks wide-ranging autonomy. "Now the Franciscans have their hands tied and can no longer be a bridge between the church and society," complained Livia Turco, a former government minister and member of the largest party in the opposition coalition, the Democrats of the Left.
In the past decades, the monks of Assisi, which is one of the holiest and most visited sites in all Christendom, have been associated with left-wing political parties and causes.
The annual Easter peace march organised by the Assisi monks is frequented by left-wing leaders and often boycotted by centre-right politicians.
They have also hosted highly controversial figures such as former Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, Italian communist party leaders and Oscar-winning actor-director Roberto Benigni, a life-long leftist.
Benedict's decree declared that the monks would have to seek the local bishop's permission for any future initiatives. He told the monks that their religious celebrations had to adhere to norms. This was a reference to inter-religious meetings and prayers which some conservatives in the church felt went too far because they bordered on syncretism, or blending religious beliefs.
The monks themselves sought to play down the curb, saying in a statement they would continue carrying out their duties in the "spirit of St Francis". - (Reuters)