Italian Atheist sues Priest over the existence of Jesus Christ
Atheist Luigi Cascioli, 72, has accused a parish priest of misleading the public by presenting Jesus as an
historical figure, and is suing Rev. Enrico Righi, 75, for three complaints...
1. That Righi's parish has profited financially from promoting what Cascioli calls
"the fable of Christ's life."
2. That the church is guilty of "impersonation" by confusing the persona of Jesus with another man named John of Gamala, said to have lived in Israel around the time of Jesus
3. That the four Gospels are filled with conflicting and inaccurate evidence about Jesus.
The hearing is taking place in a court in Viterbo, Italy, a city located in a valley 25 miles northwest of Rome, and could take weeks to decide.
Cascioli filed a civil suit against Righi in 2002 citing an Italian anti-fraud law designed to target advertisements that make unrealistic health or beauty claims. Righi wrote in a church newsletter that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a couple named Mary and Joseph and that he lived in Nazareth. Cascioli's
lawsuit against this newsletter, claims the statement was an "abuse of
popular belief."
"The court will have to decide whether the statements Father Righi made were indeed fraudulent to decide whether the case has merit," says Antonio Schieppati, a retired director of the law faculty at the University of Rome and a legal consultant.
"It has to make a judgment about the existence of Christ. As far as I
know, no court has ever been required to do such a thing."
Schieppati says that if Cascioli is successful, the church will be forced to use conditional language when writing about some faith-related issues for the public.
According to Italian laws, the burden is on Cascioli to prove his claim that Jesus is a fabrication. If he loses, Cascioli plans on appealing the decision to the European Court of Human Rights, where he feels he has a better chance of winning, he says, where the church has less power to control.
Lyman, Eric J. "Italian atheist sues priest over Jesus' existence." USA TODAY 31 Jan 2006: 8A
Update: Judge Gaetano Mautone rejected atheist Luigi Cascioli's attempt to sue the Catholic Priest for saying Jesus existed 2,000 years ago.
The Italian judge in Viterbo threw out the civil case and recommended magistrates investigate Cascioli for possible slander against the priest, said Righi's lawyer, Bruno Severo.
Leavitt, Paul. "Italian judge tosses case disputing Jesus' existence." USA TODAY 13 Feb 2006: 9A
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