Poisoned chalice: bleach smell alerts Italian priest to apparent mafia threat

A parish priest in southern Italy was about to take a sip from a chalice of wine when he realised it was laced with bleach in what is believed to have been a mafia-related threat.

Father Felice Palamara had just consecrated the chalice of water and wine before celebrating the eucharist during evening mass on Saturday at San Nicola di Pannaconi church in Cessaniti, a small town in the Campania region, and as he prepared to drink from it he notice a strange smell.

The mass was interrupted and laboratory tests later confirmed that the mix contained bleach, triggering a police investigation.

Palamara, who has often spoken out against the Camorra, the mafia organisation that originated in Campania, told local media that he had received several death threats during his time at the church. His car has been vandalised twice in recent months.

Read more: The Guardian (UK)