Religion: The Baptists of Sant'Angelo

In the early hours one January morning, the clang of church bells broke the stillness over the vineyards and olive groves of Sant'Angelo in Villa, about 50 miles southeast of Rome. At the sound of the tocsin, villagers tumbled out of bed and, dressing as they ran, swarmed to the church, shouting threats. The alarm had been sounded by two early risers who had spotted the enemy on their way to work. The enemy: Parish Priest Andrea Tarquini, who, flanked by three carabinieri, had tried to slip secretly into the church to sign a...

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