Migrant rescue ship chaplain hit by spyware attack

‘I believe it’s quite clear that government agencies are behind it. Unfortunately, for many years now, solidarity has almost become a crime.’

An Italian priest known for his charitable work for migrants and his connection to Pope Francis has been spied on through the notorious military-grade spyware programme called “Graphite”.

Fr Mattia Ferrari, who has been working as a chaplain on an Italian migrant rescue ship run by the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans, spoke publicly after WhatsApp revealed at the end of January that as many as 90 accounts of activists and journalists, many across Europe, had been compromised and their correspondence intercepted.

He said that he had been informed by WhatsApp’s parent company Meta in February last year that his mobile phone had been the target of a spyware attack.

Earlier revelations have shown that Mediterranea’s director, the activist Luca Casarani, has also been a target of the programme, manufactured by the Israeli software company Paragon Solutions, which can infect devices without any detection and running in the background.

Finding out about the surveillance “wasn’t pleasant news”, Fr Ferrari told The Guardian. He said he believed the attack came from a state actor and was connected to his charitable work.

“When I learned that Luca had been spied on, I knew that I too could be a target,” he said. “I believe it’s quite clear that government agencies are behind it. Unfortunately, for many years now, solidarity has almost become a crime.”

Pope Francis has recognised Ferrari’s humanitarian work. In September last year, the Pope wrote the preface to a book published by Ferrari last year, in which the priest recorded his experiences at sea rescuing those who are fleeing their homes.

The Guardian reported that Ferrari has been in regular telephone communication with the Pope and that, together with Casarani, had visited him in his home.

The Italian government confirmed that seven telephone numbers had been compromised but denied any involvement in the scandal. The spyware scandal has affected several individuals who are critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, but Ferrari’s case is the first in which a member of the clergy has been involved.

View from Rome

The caress of mercy

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