Maria Laura Mainetti

Teresina Elsa Mainetti was born on 20 August 1939 in Villatico,{{Cite web|last=Redazione|date=6 June 2021|title=Suor Maria Laura Mainetti è beata: "Una vita donata due volte"|url=https://lecconotizie.com/societa/mandello-societa/suor-maria-laura-mainetti-e-beata-una-vita-donata-due-volte/|access-date=6 June 2021|website=Lecco Notizie|language=it-IT}} a frazione of Colico, Lecco, Italy, and was baptised aged two days. She was the tenth and last child born to Marcellina Gusmeroli (who died when Teresina was 12 days old) and Stefano Mainetti.[https://www.figliedellacroce.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Testimonianza_compressed.pdf "Testimone d'Amore", Figlie della Croce] She attended the Istituto Magistrale run by the Sisters of the Cross in Parma, and decided to join the Sisters of the Cross after turning 18. Mainetti began her postulancy in Rome on 22 August 1957 and was admitted into the novitiate in February 1958. On 15 August 1959, she made her first vows to live according to the evangelical counsels, taking the sister name Laura in honour of the late daughter of another sister. Mainetti made her final vows in La Puye on 25 August 1964. After teaching at primary schools run by the Sisters of the Cross in Vasto, Rome, Parma and Chiavenna, she became mother superior of a convent in Chiavenna specialising in providing help for juvenile delinquents.{{Cite web|title=Suor Maria Laura Mainetti|url=https://www.figliedellacroce.it/suor-maria-laura-mainetti/|access-date=5 June 2021|website=Figlie della Croce|language=it-IT}}{{Cite web|title=Storia|url=http://beatasuormarialaura.it/storia/|access-date=5 June 2021|website=Beata Suor Maria Laura|language=it-IT}}

{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=left|frame-width=280|frame-height=210|frame-lat=46.325|frame-long=9.40942|zoom=13|type=point|coord={{coord|46|19|30|N|9|24|33.9|E}}|text=Location of the murder}}

Around 22:00 on 6 June 2000, Mainetti left her convent in Chiavenna and went to a local public square to meet a girl who had recently requested an appointment via telephone, claiming to have been raped and impregnated and to be considering an abortion.{{Cite episode|title=Le ragazze di Satana|series={{ill|Delitti|it|Delitti (programma televisivo)}}|network={{ill|History (Italian television channel)|lt=History|it|History (Italia)}}}} There, Mainetti encountered the girl, Veronica Pietrobelli, and the latter's friends, Milena De Giambattista and Ambra Gianasso. The three girls, aged 16 and 17, lured Mainetti down a nearby street to a secluded area outside a park where they ambushed her, stoning and shouting abuse at her before taking turns in stabbing her with a kitchen knife that De Giambattista was carrying.{{Cite web|date=4 April 2008|title=La killer di suor Maria "Averla uccisa mi ha salvato la vita"|url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/killer-suor-maria-averla-uccisa-mi-ha-salvato-vita.html|access-date=5 June 2021|website=ilGiornale.it|language=it}} Mainetti prayed as she was being attacked, asking God to forgive the girls, before dying after having been stabbed 19 times.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=7 July 2000|title=Mentre la uccidevamo la suora pregava per noi|url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/cronaca/suora/pregava/pregava.html|access-date=10 November 2019|website=la Repubblica}} Mainetti's body was found the next morning by a passerby.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=7 June 2000|title=Suora uccisa a coltellate|url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/cronaca/suora/suora/suora.html|access-date=10 November 2019|website=la Repubblica}}

The girls were arrested on suspicion of the murder three weeks later, after two of them discussed what they had done in a telephone conversation—police had monitored the girls' telephones after a witness claimed to have seen them with Mainetti.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/jul/01/rorycarroll|title=Girls confess to killing nun 'for sport'|last=Carroll|first=Rory|date=1 July 2000|work=The Guardian|access-date=10 November 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1346280/Bishop-blames-liberal-society-for-girls-joke-killing-of-nun.html|title=Bishop blames liberal society for girls' 'joke' killing of nun|last=Johnston|first=Bruce|date=2 July 2000|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=10 November 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}} In custody, the girls initially said they killed the sister "for sport", later saying they killed her in a satanic sacrifice. They told investigators they had initially wanted to kill the parish priest, but decided that Mainetti, who had previously taught them catechism, would be an easier target; and that their intention had been to stab the sister 18 times—6 times per girl, as per the number of the beast; the nineteenth stab wound was inflicted "by mistake".{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 July 2000|title=A Satana bastavano 18 coltellate|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2000/07/08/satana-bastavano-18-coltellate.html|access-date=10 November 2019|website=la Repubblica|language=it}} After a summary trial at the juvenile court of Milan on 9 August 2001, De Giambattista and Pietrobelli were convicted of murder and sentenced to 8 years and 6 months' imprisonment, with the court taking into account that they were partially insane at the time of the crime; their sentences were later upheld by the city's appeal court. Gianasso, who was initially found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, was sentenced to 12 years and 4 months' imprisonment by the appeal court on 4 April 2002;{{Cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/cronaca/suora/condannate/condannate.html|title=Omicidio di Chiavenna, condannate le tre ragazze|last=|first=|date=4 April 2002|website=la Reppublica|access-date=10 November 2019}} she was released on 17 January 2003 after the Supreme Court of Cassation failed to reach a verdict on an appeal she had filed,{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2003/01/18/suora-uccisa-scarcerata-una-delle-ragazze-killer.html|title=Suora uccisa, scarcerata una delle ragazze killer|last=|first=|date=18 January 2003|website=la Repubblica|language=it|access-date=10 November 2019}} before returning to prison six days later after the court upheld her sentence.{{Cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/cronaca/suora/ambra/ambra.html|title=Ambra torna in carcere|last=|first=|date=23 January 2003|website=la Repubblica|access-date=10 November 2019}}

By 2008, all three perpetrators had been released from prison after participating in community service programs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/2006/08/sezioni/cronaca/killer-chiavenna/killer-chiavenna/killer-chiavenna.html|title=Esce una delle killer della suora|last=|first=|date=|website=la Repubblica|access-date=10 November 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2006/05/05/omicidio-mainetti-milena-in-comunita.html|title=Milena in comunità|last=|first=|date=5 May 2006|website=la Repubblica|language=it|access-date=10 November 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/07_dicembre_11/delitto_suora_chiavenna_fuori_ambra_623f2246-a7b1-11dc-9708-0003ba99c53b.shtml|title=Uccisero una suora. Fuori l'ultima ragazza.|last=Giliberti|first=Luigina|date=11 December 2007|website=Corriere della Sera|access-date=10 November 2019}}

File:Croce suor Maria Laura - Chiavenna.jpg" (John 12:24)]]

Mainetti's funeral on 9 June 2000 was attended by some 2,500 mourners.{{Cite web|title=Il vescovo piange per la suora uccisa|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2000/06/10/il-vescovo-piange-per-la-suora-uccisa.html|access-date=6 June 2021|website=Archivio – la Repubblica.it|date=10 June 2000 |language=it}} On 23 October 2005, Alessandro Maggiolini, Bishop of the Diocese of Como, opened the diocesan phase of Mainetti's beatification process at the Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence in Chiavenna.{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.gelocal.it/gazzettadireggio/archivio/gazzettadireggio/2005/10/24/EA5PO_N5A03.html|title=La suora uccisa da tre ragazze sarà santa|last=|first=|date=23 October 2005|website=Gazzetta di Reggio|language=it|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112150141/https://ricerca.gelocal.it/gazzettadireggio/archivio/gazzettadireggio/2005/10/24/EA5PO_N5A03.html|archive-date=12 November 2019|access-date=12 November 2019}}

On 20 March 2008, Maggiolini announced that the request for the initiation of Mainetti's beatification process had been approved.{{Cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2008/marzo/21/Suora_uccisa_processo_beatificazione_co_9_080321129.shtml|title=Suora uccisa, sì al processo di beatificazione|last=|first=|date=21 March 2008|website=Corriere della Sera|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101221111/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2008/marzo/21/Suora_uccisa_processo_beatificazione_co_9_080321129.shtml|archive-date=1 January 2016|access-date=12 November 2019}} The Congregation for the Causes of Saints declared her a martyr,{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/12285/pope-speaks-about-religious-sister-who-was-killed-by-satanists|title=Pope speaks about religious sister who was killed by Satanists|last=|first=|date=9 April 2008|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=12 November 2019}} eliminating the need for recognition of a miracle.{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2008/03/22/suora-uccisa-fu-un-martirio-la-beatificazione.html|title=Suora uccisa, fu un martirio la beatificazione sarà più rapida|last=|first=|date=22 March 2008|website=la Repubblica|language=it|access-date=12 November 2019}} The Congregation declared her a martyr again on 19 June 2020.{{Cite web|last=Morandotti|first=Lorenzo|date=19 June 2020|title=Suor Maria Laura Mainetti, riconosciuto il martirio|url=https://www.corrieredicomo.it/suor-maria-laura-mainetti-riconosciuto-il-martirio/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626224933/https://www.corrieredicomo.it/suor-maria-laura-mainetti-riconosciuto-il-martirio/|archive-date=26 June 2020|access-date=24 June 2020|website=Corriere di Como|language=it-IT}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=20 June 2020|title=Sarà beata suor Maria Laura Mainetti, uccisa venti anni fa da tre ragazze per un rito satanico|url=https://milano.repubblica.it/cronaca/2020/06/20/news/suora_maria_laura_mainetti_chiavenna_omicidio_beata-259716507/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=la Repubblica|language=it}} She was beatified on 6 June 2021, the twenty-first anniversary of her murder.{{Cite web|date=6 June 2021|title=Suor Maria Laura Mainetti proclamata beata: venne uccisa da tre ragazze "nel nome di Satana"|url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2021/06/06/suor-maria-laura-mainetti-proclamata-beata-venne-uccisa-da-tre-ragazze-nel-nome-di-satana/6221840/|access-date=6 June 2021|website=Il Fatto Quotidiano|language=it-IT}}{{Cite web|last=Gerosa|first=Barbara|date=6 June 2021|title=Suor Maria Laura Mainetti, è beata la religiosa uccisa da tre ragazze "in nome di Satana"|url=https://milano.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/21_giugno_06/suor-maria-laura-mainetti-beata-religiosa-uccisa-tre-ragazze-in-nome-satana-673ddb0a-c6d0-11eb-82e4-654726b05a64.shtml|access-date=6 June 2021|website=Corriere della Sera|language=it}}

On 26 February 2019, Mainetti's remains were exhumed from Chiavenna cemetery and placed in the Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence.{{Cite website|url=https://www.avvenire.it/chiesa/pagine/suor-mainetti-traslazione-sondrio|title=Serva di Dio. Il corpo di suor Mainetti traslato nella "sua" chiesa a Chiavenna|last=|first=|date=12 March 2019|website=Avvenire|language=it|access-date=13 November 2019}}

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{{Catholic saints|state=collapsed}}

{{Subject bar |portal1=Saints |portal2= Biography |portal3= Christianity|portal4= Catholicism |portal5= Italy}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainetti, Maria Laura}}

Category:1939 births

Category:2000 deaths

Category:20th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns

Category:20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs

Category:20th-century venerated Christians

Category:Beatifications by Pope Francis

Category:Deaths by stabbing in Italy

Category:Italian murder victims

Category:People from Colico

Category:People from Sondrio

Category:Crimes involving Satanism or the occult