The Bible And The Headlines:

By Editor | October 27, 2022

News You Can Use

By David Bachelor, PhD

The Sunday edition of the New York Times had the obituary of a man who, except for death, had all the bases covered. The headline announced, “Louis Gigante, Priest Who Led South Bronx Revival, Dies at 90.” During his lifetime, Father Gigante worked for God, the government, and the Mob.

Father Gigante was ordained in 1959. He initially served in Puerto Rico before returning to New York. His last assignment as a priest was the assistant pastor of a South Bronx church where he delivered sermons in English or Spanish. The Times described the young Father Gigante as a “savvy street priest” who carried a baseball bat for protection and “celebrated masses, officiated at weddings and funerals, heard confessions, visited the sick and buried the dead.” The article remarks, “As his hair went white, he still had the springy step of the basketball star he had been at Georgetown University in the early 1950s.”

Father Gigante drifted into politics in 1968 when he started a tax-exempt anti-poverty neighborhood organization with the goal to rejuvenate the South Bronx. In 1970 he lost his first election, but in the year that followed, Father G (as he was known in the Bronx) was selected as the first priest to become an accredited political boss, the Democratic leader of the 77th Assembly District. Speaking to the Times in 1972, Father Gigante said, “At first there were those who felt it was wrong for a priest to be a politician. But then when I did a few favors for them, these same people changed their minds. Patronage is where it is.”

Father G was familiar with another type of patronage. The Times notes all four of Louis’s brother were prominent members of the Genovese Mafia family. His eldest brother, Vincent, aka “the Chin,” “was widely recognized as the most powerful crime boss in the nation until he went to prison in 1997.” Father Gigante was the subject of an April 14, 2017 article in The Daily Beast titled, “Mob Priest: Heaven Is Full of Made Men.” The article focuses on Father G’s reaction to Pope Francis excommunicating all mafia members in 2016. Reflecting on his brother, Vincent the Chin, Father G said, “Did you know my brother was the strongest guy in New York and ran the underworld? He was a saint and one of the finest human beings you want to meet.” Father Gigante expected to see lots of mobsters in heaven.

Father G was not only in conflict with the views of Pope Francis, he was also at variance with the teaching of the Bible. For someone who had taken vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience the second letter from Timothy is pertinent: “As Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize (2 Ti 2:4-5).

The Times noted that at the time of his death, Father Gigante had two lawsuits filed against him in New York state court. The July 30, 2021 edition of the New York Daily News had the headline, “Priest Brother of Late Genovese Crime Family Boss Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante Accused in Bronx Sexual Abuse Lawsuit.” Being accused is not the same as being guilty, nor is overlooking a brother’s crimes the same as committing these acts yourself, but it is hard to imagine that a person so wrapped up in the world’s affairs could satisfy the One who originally enlisted this person in His army. Father G was right about one thing- Heaven is full of “made” men. However, not those approved by the mob, but only those made righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Posted in Lifestyles