Francesco Bonifacio - Death

Death

A Few days before his end, Don Francesco, had been warned by some loyal parishioners that his life was in danger. He knew that he was on the Communist BlackList, and made a confidence to a fellow Priest, Don Guido Bertuzzo, the Sicciole’s Chaplian, telling him that even talking on the streets had become very dangerous for him, since he was under strict surveillance, and that Istria was now living under terror. He recommended to an activist parishioner to make “marks his arms” since he knew that the “Druses” (communists) were now cutting heads of their victims. Father (Don) Francesco Bonifacio was likely killed on September 11, 1946, the same day he disappeared and his body was never recovered. He was seen alive for the last time around 4 p.m., by Don Giuseppe Rocco, his confessor and Chaplain of Peroi. A later reconstruction stated that he was stopped on his way back home by four “Popular Guards’ and beaten to death and his body thrown into a foiba. Other unconfirmed versions stated that he was also reputedly physically abused, stoned and eventually stabbed twice. When his brother went to ask for information to the local “Popular Militia” (Communist Police) he was arrested on accusation of spreading false and anticommunist propaganda. Shortly afterwards his family moved to Italy. The fate of Father (Don) Francesco Bonifacio was not the only violence committed against the Catholic Church of the former Italian territories ceded to Yugoslavia on 1945. In June 1946, Trieste bishop Mons. Santin was stopped and beaten by communist activists while going to Koper/Capodistria, then part of his diocese, attending the Ceremony of Confirmations; his delegate Mons Giacomo Ukmar was also beaten on August 23, 1947, and the same day another priest persist Don Miro Bulesic had his throat slit. On {{#dateformatNovember 11 1951}} another Trieste’s Bishop delegate Mons. Giorgio Bruni, was beaten when on the bishop’s behalf he was attending Confirmations in Carcase.