Posts Tagged ‘Mafia’

Mafia crooks banned as godparents in south Italy

Friday, September 25th, 2015

Mafia criminals will not be able to serve as godparents at Baptisms or witnesses at Marriages in the southern Italian region of Calabria. The bishops of region have included the ban in a new set of pastoral guidelines. Persons convicted of Mafia-related crimes are also not permitted to carry statues in religious processions unless they Read more

St Januarius’s blood liquefies in presence of Pope Francis

Tuesday, March 24th, 2015

The blood of St Januarius liquefied in the presence of a pope for the first time since 1848 on Saturday. The blood of the patron saint of Naples, which is normally solid, partially liquefied after Pope Francis kissed the relic during his day trip to the southern Italian city. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe of Naples showed Read more

No Sacrament of Confirmation for son of Mafia boss

Friday, November 28th, 2014

It’s long been accused of adopting an at best ambiguous role in the fight against organised crime in Sicily, but the Catholic Church has now taken a symbolic stand against the Mafia in its Palermo heartland by refusing to give the sacraments to the son of a notorious Cosa Nostra crime lord. Despite protests from Read more

Mate! you’ve got the wrong Pope

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Maybe it was a clever trick on Pope Francis’s part, just in case the mafia was on the lookout for him or maybe CNN committed a slight error last weekend when it covered Pope Francis’ recent warning to excommunicate the Mafia from the Roman Catholic Church. Although CNN got the story and the quote correct, Read more

What excommunicating the mafia means

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Pope Francis used the e-word against the mob for the first time this weekend. The Holy Father was celebrating mass on Saturday in Calabria, a mob-heavy region in southern Italy, when he deviated from his prepared remarks and announced that the mafia are excommunicated. “Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafiosi do, are Read more

Pope tells mafia that they are excommunicated

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014

Pope Francis has told the Italian mafia that they are excommunicated and an example of the adoration of evil. It is believed to be the first time a pope has used the word excommunication in direct reference to organised crime groups. “Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not Read more

Pope warns Mafia gangsters they are headed for hell

Tuesday, March 25th, 2014

Pope Francis has warned the Italian Mafia that they will end up in hell if they do not change their lives and stop doing evil. He made these remarks during a prayer vigil in Rome for victims of the Mafia. “Men and women of the Mafia, please change your lives, convert, stop doing evil,” the Read more

Pope Francis not in danger from Mafia, Vatican says

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

The Vatican dismissed concerns today that Pope Francis could be a target of Italian organized crime because his reforms threaten what one mafia expert said were long-time ties between the church and criminal syndicates. “There is no concrete reason that would lead us to worry. There is no reason to feed alarmism,” the Rev. Federico Read more

Mob prosecutor warns Mafia ‘interested’ in Pope Francis

Friday, November 15th, 2013

One of Italy’s best known anti-mob prosecutors is warning the Mafia is considering Pope Francis as a target. Nicola Gratteri says the Mafia is upset by the Pope’s efforts to make the Church more financially transparent. For years the Mafia has laundered money and made investments, taking advantage of the connivance of the Church, he said. Gratteri’s comments Read more

Pope calls on Mafia gangsters to convert to God

Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

A day after the beatification of a Sicilian priest killed by the Mafia, Pope Francis called for “these gangsters” to convert to God. Father Giuseppe Puglisi, who was murdered by Sicilian Mafia in 1993, was beatified in Palermo on May 25. Shocked by his death and inspired by his example, many of Sicily’s priests began Read more