(ZENIT News / Modena, 04.14.2025).- An Italian court has dismissed a high-profile blasphemy case involving a provocative painting exhibited in a diocesan museum — yet the legal outcome has not quelled the moral and pastoral controversy engulfing the Catholic Church in the region.
On March 28, 2025, Judge Andrea Scarpa of Modena formally dropped criminal charges of contempt for the Catholic religion against Archbishop Erio Castellucci of Modena-Nonantola and Carpi, exhibition curators Don Carlo Bellini and Cristina Muccioli, and the artist Andrea Saltini. The case revolved around a painting titled «Longino», which some Catholics claimed portrayed a Roman centurion in an intimate posture with Jesus.
While the court found insufficient evidence of deliberate offense to constitute a criminal act, Judge Scarpa did not shy away from describing the work as “provocative and ambiguous,” suggesting that it may have been designed, at least in part, to stir controversy — a goal it has undeniably achieved.
Critics argue that the legal ruling leaves unresolved deeper ethical concerns, especially the role of Church leadership in curating such exhibitions. Archbishop Castellucci, who supported the artist and exhibition organizers, now faces growing criticism not from the state, but from within the Church itself.
The legal case stemmed from a formal complaint filed by lay Catholics, represented by lawyer Francesco Minutillo, who requested an investigation into the display of «Longino» during the «Gratia Plena» art exhibit held in the spring of 2024 at the Diocesan Museum of Carpi, housed in the Church of San Ignazio.
In his ruling, Judge Scarpa offered two main arguments for dismissing the case. First, he concluded that the ambiguous nature of the artwork prevented a definitive finding of intentional offense, which is a legal requirement for a charge of religious contempt. Second, he noted that although San Ignazio is technically a consecrated church, it functions as a «civil space» rather than an active place of worship, hosting exhibitions and cultural events rather than liturgical functions.
For Minutillo, the judge’s description of the artwork as provocatively crafted amounts to a partial vindication. “The court may have dismissed the charges, but it confirmed what we knew all along — that the painting was designed to provoke,” he said in a press statement. “This is no victory for the Church, but a moral defeat for its leadership.”
He also challenged the court’s classification of San Ignazio as a secular space, arguing that the church continues to benefit from legal and financial privileges accorded to places of worship in Italy — privileges that would be logically inconsistent with the judge’s civil-space designation.
The debate is now shifting from legal to ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Minutillo has indicated plans to compile all relevant documentation and formally present the case to the Vatican, requesting an internal pastoral and disciplinary review of the actions taken by Archbishop Castellucci and Don Carlo Bellini.
Observers suggest the Vatican could respond in one of several ways: a private admonition, a public clarification, or, in extreme cases, formal sanctions. However, such disciplinary actions are rare, and the outcome may hinge more on theological nuance than judicial precedent.
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