Outstanding Catholic Bishop Did Not Even Receive a Proper Grave
Bishop Laise became internationally known for defending the practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. During debates within the Argentine Episcopal Conference in 1996 over the introduction of Communion in the hand, he chose not to implement the indult in his diocese, maintaining that receiving Communion on the tongue remained the universal norm of the Church.
After retiring, he settled in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he spent his final years serving as a confessor.
Although a marble slab was placed over his grave at the time of his burial in 2019, it still bears only the temporary paper funeral notice affixed on the day of his funeral. No permanent inscription has ever been added.
The case has attracted renewed attention following an investigation by Italian journalist Simone Ortolani, as reported by Messa in Latino.
What makes the situation particularly striking is that other Capuchin friars buried in the same cemetery after Bishop Laise have all received permanent marble inscriptions, while his grave remains unfinished.
Responsibility for completing the inscription may lie with one of three entities: the Diocese of San Luis in Argentina, where Laise served as bishop from 1971 to 2001; the Capuchin Province of Foggia, which oversees the cemetery where he is buried; or the municipal cemetery administration of San Giovanni Rotondo.
Below is a 2015 Gloria.tv interview with Bishop Laise, conducted in Spanish, in which he discusses the practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand.
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