Don Andrea Gallo (18 July 1928 – 22 May 2013) was an Italian
presbyter
Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...
. He was the founder and leader of the Community of San Benedetto al Porto. He often called himself a "
priest of the sidewalk", referring to his activity of helping poor and needy people.
Biography
Andrea Gallo was drawn to as a child by
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
of
Salesians of
John Bosco, and entered the 1948 in their
novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
of
Varazze. In 1953, after studying philosophy in Rome, Gallo was asked to leave Italy for
missions, and he was sent to
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Brazil, where he attended
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
courses. Since the Brazilian dictatorship forced him to return to Italy, he went to
Ivrea in 1954 to continue the studies and was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
as a priest on 1 July 1959.
In 1960, Gallo was sent as a chaplain to the
training ship ''Garaventa'', trying to introduce a different setting in
teaching
Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...
and to replace the repressive methods with an education based upon
trust and
freedom
Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws".
In one definition, something is "free" i ...
. After three years, Gallo was moved to another position, and in 1964 he decided to leave the
Salesians and asked his superiors to
incardinate in the
Archdiocese of Genoa. After that,
Giuseppe Siri, a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
and archbishop of Genoa at that time, sent him to
Capraia as the chaplain of the prison. Two months later, he was assigned as
assistant pastor to the parish of
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...
, where he remained until 1970, when Cardinal
Siri
Siri ( , backronym: Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is a digital assistant purchased, developed, and popularized by Apple Inc., which is included in the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, Apple TV, audioOS, and visionOS operating sys ...
moved back to Capraia. In the parish of Mount Carmel, Gallo started to gather young people and adults from all over the city, especially the poor and the marginalized. In the summer of 1970, after a den of
hashish
Hashish (; ), usually abbreviated as hash, is a Compression (physics), compressed form of resin (trichomes) derived from the cannabis flowers. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, As a Psychoactive drug, psychoactive ...
was discovered in the same district, Gallo, taking a cue from the fact, he recalled in his homily that there are many other drugs, for example those of
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
, thanks to which a boy may become "unsuitable for studies" if he is "the son of poor people, or a
bombing
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
of helpless people can become action in defense of freedom."

Gallo was accused of being a communist, and this led the
curia
Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...
to decide his removal. The measure of the archbishop caused the parish and the town to protest, although the curia did not turn back and ordered Gallo to obey. He refused the assignment to Capraia, believing that there he would be totally and permanently isolated. Some time later, he was welcomed by the parish priest of St. Benedict at
Port of Genoa
The Port of Genoa is one of the most important seaports in Italy. With a trade volume of 51.6 million tonnes, it is the busiest port of Italy after the port of Trieste by cargo tonnage.
Notably the port was used for dismantling the ''Costa Conco ...
, Don Federico Rebora, and together with a small group he established the Community of San Benedetto al Porto. In an interview in August 2007 at ''La storia siamo noi'' ("Preti di strada") on
Rai Tre, Gallo said: "My gospels are not four... We have been following for years and years the gospel according to
De André, a path that is in obstinate and contrary direction. And we can confirm it, note it: from diamonds nothing was born, from dung flowers bloom."
Since the foundation of the Community of San Benedetto al Porto, Gallo was committed to
pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...
and to the recovery of marginalized people, even advocating for the legalization of
soft drugs. In 2006, Gallo was fined for smoking
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
in the town hall of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
to protest against the law on drugs in Italy. He actively supported the No Dal Molin movement of
Vicenza
Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
against the construction of a new U.S.
military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
in
Padua
Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
. In April 2008, Gallo joined the V2-Day organized by
Beppe Grillo
Giuseppe Piero "Beppe" Grillo (; born 21 July 1948) is an Italian comedian, actor, Blogger (person), blogger, and politician.
He has been involved in politics since 2009 as the co-founder (together with Gianroberto Casaleggio) of the Italian Fi ...
. On 27 June 2009, he participated to the 2009 Genoa
gay pride parade, complaining about the uncertainties of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in respect of homosexuality. An
LGBT rights
Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
advocate, Gallo was honored on 15 August 2011 as "Gay Character of the Year" by Gay.it in
Torre del Lago. In 2013, he said that the Catholic Church needed an openly gay pope.
Video of Gallo singing resistance song
Bella ciao during mass with a congregation was recorded in 2012. In 2016,
Jacobin magazine uploaded the video to social media, receiving hundreds of thousands of views, and occasionally re-uploads the Don Gallo rendition.
Gallo died in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
on 22 May 2013 at the age of 84. His death was announced by Domenico Chionetti, spokesman for the Community of San Benedetto al Porto.
Works
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* Reprinted in Milan by Dalai publishers in 2011
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References
External links
Don Gallo interviewedby ''
Rolling Stone Italia''
Don Gallo sings ''Bella ciao''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallo, Don Andrea
1928 births
20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
21st-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
2013 deaths
Catholic socialists
Christian communists
Clergy from Genoa
Italian communists