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Pope criticises the mafia for 'exploiting' the pandemic

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Pope criticises the mafia for 'exploiting' the pandemic
Pope Francis prays during a mass on the occasion of the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, on November 9, 2019 at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Pope Francis launched a fresh attack on the mafia on Sunday, Italy's day of remembrance for victims of the mob, describing them as "organisations of sin" who have exploited the coronavirus pandemic.

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"Mafias are present in various parts of the world and, exploiting the pandemic, have enriched themselves through corruption," the pontiff said after his weekly Sunday Angelus address.

Referring to his predecessors as head of the Catholic church, he added: "St John Paul II denounced their culture of death and Benedict XVI condemned them as a road of death.

"These organisations of sin, mafia structures, exchange faith for idolatry, contrary to the Gospel of Christ. Today we remember all the victims and renew our commitment against mafias."

READ ALSO: ‘Free to choose’: The scheme helping women and children leave Italy’s mafia clans

In an open-air mass in Sicily in September 2018, during a trip to honour a priest murdered by the mob 25 years earlier, Pope Francis condemned those who belong to the mafia as "blasphemous".

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His impassioned plea echoed the words of Jean Paul II who, during a May 1993 trip to the island, had also called on mobsters to abandon crime, and urged Sicilians to revolt against the mafia.

Italy's anti-mafia organisation Libera has for many years been remembering the victims of organised crime on March 21, but in recent years it has become an official national day of commemoration.

In a statement on Sunday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said: "Eradicating the mafia is possible and necessary."

READ ALSO: ‘Ndrangheta: Major Italian mafia ‘maxi-trial’ kicks off with over 350 defendants

A mafia drug ring was dismantled earlier this month in the southern Calabria region, after a grandma tipped off Italian police.

“People have suffered and seen the arrogance of these criminals who insisted on extorting money,” anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri told the Gazzetta del Sud daily.

READ ALSO: Meet Nicola Gratteri, the prosecutor leading Italy’s battle against the mafia

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