A brief greeting after Sunday Mass at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Casalba, a district of Macerata Campania, has drawn divided public reaction after a video clip circulated online.
According to Il Mattino, parish priest Girolamo Capuano was greeting children and young scouts after the service with customary caresses and several small taps on the head. The clip then circulated on social networks and WhatsApp groups, prompting contrasting interpretations.
Some viewers described the gestures as inappropriate in a church setting. Parishioners and other local clergy described them instead as affectionate and informal conduct, without malicious intent.
Il Mattino identifies Rosario Ventriglia and Marcos Aparecido de Goes as clergy who publicly defended Capuano.
Santa Maria delle Grazie is one of the parishes associated with Macerata Campania, listed alongside San Martino Vescovo; parish listings place Santa Maria delle Grazie in the Casalba area.
What remains unclear from the published account is the full context of the video. The original parish livestream was not independently reviewed, no official statement from the Archdiocese of Capua was reported, and the available reporting does not establish whether the conduct violated any pastoral or safeguarding rule.
