Southern Italy (Sicily) represents one of the most fascinating regions of the country, a place where faith, culture, and history intertwine harmoniously. This land has been crossed by different peoples over the centuries, each leaving an indelible mark: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Spaniards, and Normans have contributed to creating a cultural and artistic heritage unique in the world.
By Ashenafi Yonas Abebe *
Faith has always played a central role in the life of the populations of Southern Italy. Baroque churches, imposing cathedrals, and sanctuaries hidden among the mountains bear witness to a devotion expressed both in works of art and in popular traditions. Religious processions, patronal feasts, and liturgical celebrations are living expressions of a spirituality deeply rooted in local culture, rich and varied in stories, and traditions.
During Holy Week, I had the grace of participating in celebrations in Southern Italy, particularly in Ispica, Modica, and Noto (Diocese of Noto, in Sicily). It was an intense and moving experience for me, in which I was able to see firsthand how faith is expressed through the rites of popular piety, profoundly involving both individuals and the entire community. Even in the days preceding the Easter Triduum, I noticed an engaging spirit and a lively, widespread participation: confraternities, associations, and many faithful were preparing themselves with devout care.
I also took part in visiting churches – such as the Church of the Santissima Annunziata and Santa Maria Maggiore – experienced almost as a silent pilgrimage. In this context, I was particularly struck by the image of the Sorrowful Mother, dressed in black and her face marked by suffering seemed to gather and represent the pain of all the humanity.
Good Friday was the most intense moment. At dawn, I went in front of the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata: the opening of the doors, amid the scent of incense, the kissing of the altar, prayer, and the silence of the crowd – especially the active and enthusiastic participation of young people (Don Bosco Association) – deeply moved me. In that moment, I perceived a simple yet authentic faith, made up of supplications entrusted with confidence to the suffering Christ.
During the “Scinnuta” (the unveiling, the removing of the veils), when the Simulacrum of Christ is revealed and the faithful approach to give thanks by kissing the feet of Christ carrying the Cross, I saw moved faces, people in tears, and gestures of genuine devotion.
The procession through the streets of the city of Ispica, accompanied by the sound of the band and the massive participation of the two confraternities (the Cavari and the Nunziatari), made me feel part of a “Synodal Church,” a people journeying in faith. One of the moments that struck me most was along Via delle Regioni: the lights turned off, torches lit, and a deep silence broken only by the invocations of those carrying the simulacrum. In that context, I perceived the strength of popular piety as a shared experience, capable of uniting everyone in a single spirit. Witnessing “U ncuontru” (the Encounter) between the Sorrowful Mother and her Son at the scene of the Flagellation, expressed through three profound bows, was for me a deeply moving moment. Seeing the Mother bow three times before her Son led me to reflect on the mystery of human suffering lived and illuminated by faith.
On Easter Sunday, however, everything changes. The Madonna, whom I had seen dressed in black on Friday and Holy Saturday, now appears in a blue and green garment, smiling, as she runs toward her Risen Son and, after embracing Him, turns joyfully toward the jubilant people. A simple yet powerful gesture, full of hope born from the Resurrection.
In the city of Ispica, “U Risuscitatu” is celebrated, the moment recalling the encounter between the Risen Christ and His Mother: together they seem to greet the crowd with joy. The reaction of the people deeply moved me: some wept, others applauded, and still others shouted enthusiastically in Sicilian: “Eppicciuotti (boys), viva lu Patri, viva lu Patri!” (long live Christ, long live the Father), while the band joyfully announced and celebrated Easter. It is a faith lived with the whole body and all emotions. It was not merely a folkloric celebration, but an experience that involved life itself. In Modica, I was also able to witness the “Madonna Vasa Vasa”, the gestures of the hug and kiss between Mary and the Risen Jesus: a simple yet meaningful moment expressing the joy of encounter and of life reborn.
Returning from this experience, I carry with me a conviction and a new, more mature awareness of the value of popular piety. It is not merely a traditional practice or a folkloric manifestation, but a true cultural expression in which the Christian faith takes concrete form in the life of a people. In simple gestures, symbols, songs, tears, and shared joy, a lived faith is manifested, incarnated in history and in relationships: an evangelized culture. What I experienced in these moments leads me to think that popular piety preserves a profound truth. The emotional expression of a people reveals their interiority, their deep convictions – a spiritual wisdom born from the received proclamation of the Gospel. The tears shed before the suffering Christ, the gathered silence of the processions, and the explosion of joy on the day of the Resurrection are not merely external expressions, but signs of a real encounter with the Christian mystery.
In a certain sense, what appears ephemeral – a gesture, a procession, a song, or a folkloric cry – reveals a lasting substance: faith that endures through time, that is passed down from generation to generation, and that continues to speak to the human heart. It is precisely in this “normative tension” between visible and invisible, emotion and truth, between tradition and life, that popular piety reveals all its richness. It thus becomes a living theological and missiological place, where the Gospel is not only proclaimed, but also lived and felt. In these simple yet profound forms, I recognized an authentic faith, capable of uniting heaven and earth, suffering and hope, death and life.
* Father Ashenafi Yonas Abebe, IMC, studies Church history at the Gregorian University, deputy director of the Historical Office in Rome.
