By Shayla Papik –
A baby has died after being left in a baby box, a “thermal cradle,” in Bari, Italy, and authorities are investigating if there was foul play or a technological malfunction.
The month-old was found Jan. 2 by a passerby who, on a whim, was showing a colleague the “life-saving system.” He noticed the door was slightly ajar. When he opened it, to his horror, Roberto Savarese saw a dead baby.
“We have gone through a traumatic experience,” Father Antonio Ruccia reportedly told his congregation at the Church of San Giovanni Battista, as reported by the Daily Mail. “As a community we are called upon to engender life. Chance made a mockery of us.”
While the community grieves, authorities are investigating: Did the parent fail to fully close the dropoff door? Did a technician who checked it recently fail his job? Did the priest neglect life-saving duties? Manslaughter charges may come, pending an investigation.
The drop-off box is designed to start warming when activated by opening and closing, along with a weight sensor. The same activation sends a text message to a priest to go and pick up the baby. Ruccia was in Rome at the time but says he never got a text message.
Baby boxes have been employed around the world as an alternative to abortion. Some countries outlaw abortion altogether, and women have been known to abandon their babies to death to escape societal shame.
A poster outside the church entrance urges those in difficulty to leave their child in the care of the parish accompanied by a picture of a newborn with the caption: “No baby is a mistake.”
Father Ruccia noted the baby box at San Giovanni Battista was last used in December 2023, when a baby girl, later named Maria Grazia, was safely left.
“No one can imagine the pain of realizing you cannot care for your little one,” he said.
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About the writer of this article: Shayla Papik studies at Lighthouse Christian Academy near Culver City, CA.
