The Grinch and Santa Claus promote vaccines for covid-19 1:34
(CNN) -
The bishop of Noto in Sicily surprised school children last week when he dropped a bomb during an art festival, telling them that Santa Claus was not real.
"No, Santa Claus does not exist. In fact, I would add that the red of the suit he is wearing was chosen by Coca Cola exclusively for advertising purposes," Antonio Staglianò told the children, according to Sicilian media.
Italian media reported that the comments came during a ceremony held on the feast of Saint Nicholas, the initial inspiration for the figure of Santa Claus and widely known for his generosity.
However, after the bishop's comments went viral, the Diocese of Noto posted an apology on its Facebook page, written by Staglianò's press secretary, Father Alessandro Paolini.
"First of all, on behalf of the bishop, I regret this statement that has disappointed the children and I want to clarify that this was not the intention of Mr. Staglianò at all," the statement said.
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Paolini said the bishop's goal was "to reflect on the meaning of Christmas and the beautiful traditions that accompany it with greater awareness and to recover the beauty of a Christmas now increasingly 'commercial' and 'de-Christianized'".
"If we can all draw a lesson, young or old, from the figure of Santa Claus (which originates with Bishop Saint Nicholas) it is this: fewer gifts to 'create' and 'consume' and more 'gifts' to share," the statement added.
Staglianò also reviewed the comments in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica published this Friday, saying: "I did not tell you that Santa Claus does not exist, but we talked about the need to distinguish what is real from what is not."
"A real fact has come out, namely that Christmas no longer belongs to Christians," Staglianò told the newspaper, adding that "the Christmas atmosphere of lights and shopping has replaced Christmas."
He said that the "consumer culture" had obscured the true meaning of the holiday, that it was a message of generosity, illustrated by the birth of the baby Jesus, who "was born to give himself to all humanity."
The apology concurred, saying that at Christmas "we received the quintessential gift, Jesus Christ," and suggested "showing up for someone we've been neglecting or ignoring for a long time or mending a damaged relationship" as a more meaningful gift.
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