Last week, it made international headlines as Pope Francis excommunicated the Mafia from the Catholic Church. This was done after Pope Francis also refused to have bulletproof glass on the Pope mobile and it truly shows a lot of courage on this Pope’s part.
Calabria.
Pope Francis first visited Calabria which is a global drug trafficking area called?‘ndrangheta and met with the imprisoned father of a three year old who was shot and killed in an alleged hit that is associated with drug rivalries.?
In a show of disgust of this action and the numerous others of the Mafia, Pope Francis has called on the Mafia to repent of their actions before. Now, however, he has made more of a decisive decision in regards to the Mafia and had this to say:
“Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated.”?
The Mafia & The Catholic Church.
In April 2006, the Sicilian Mafia superboss, Bernardo Provenzano was nabbed in a little farmhouse near Corleone, Sicily.
One of the things that the police found very interesting were his five Bibles that he had with him. Along with the tattered pictures of Jesus Christ and prayer cards, the boss had devised and written a secret code, entailing how he used to guide the Costa Nostra from his hideout to do all of their ill deeds.
This Mafia boss was a devout Catholic, as most are, watching Mass on the television, or listening to it on the radio. However, due to many passages that he had underlined in his Bibles, ?it seemed to indicate that he felt he was doing God’s work. One of those verses was Revelation 17:7 which says,
“For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.”
Most Mafioso tend to hide behind their Catholic faith. However, there seems to often be a close relationship between the Catholic Church and the Mafia, especially in the smaller villages of Northern Italy. Often, in these areas, even local priests will be involved in the activity of the mafia. When Pope Francis excommunicated the Mafia, he may very well have risked his life to do so. Not only was he speaking to the mafia themselves, but also to the priests and others that are involved in some fashion with the Mafia.
Pope Francis Shows Courage.
Pope Francis made all of his comments while in the stronghold of the Mafia. The man has displayed tremendous courage and has really shaken the Church at its foundations- and he continues to show courage while doing such things.
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