Using his strongest language to date, Pope Francis told Italian Mafia members on Saturday that they are excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
"Those who in their life
have gone along the evil ways, as in the case of the mafia, they are not
with God, they are excommunicated," Francis said in an outdoor Mass in
Piana di Sibari, Calabria.
It is the first time a
Pope has spoken of excommunication for the Mafia. Excommunication, which
excludes Catholics from the church, can be imposed by church
authorities or incurred automatically for certain grave offenses.
The Pope's remarks will
resonate strongly in this part of southern Italy, where the Mafia are
known to attempt to portray themselves as upstanding religious men in
good rapport with the Catholic Church, in order to maintain local
credibility.
During a one-day visit to
Calabria, the Pope denounced the local mafia, called 'Ndrangheta, as an
example of "the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good."
According to reports,
'Ndrangheta is one of the wealthiest international crime organizations,
with an annual turnover of 53 billion euros ($72 billion), much of it
from the global cocaine trade.
Calabria also suffers
from 56% youth unemployment, which the Mafia exploits with promises of
jobs for disillusioned young people.
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