2 years ago
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A justice successful Sicily has handed down jailhouse sentences totalling 80 years to 39 radical for diverting a Good Friday spiritual procession to the location of a mafia household and paying homage to an imprisoned transgression boss.
People were carrying a statue of Jesus Christ done the Sicilian colony of San Michele Di Ganzaria astatine Easter successful 2016 erstwhile a radical stopped the cortege, moved it distant from the agreed itinerary and forced it to walk successful beforehand of the location of the mafia godfather Francesco La Rocca.
La Rocca was serving a beingness condemnation astatine the clip for mafia-related crimes, but his woman came retired of the location to greet the wellwishers and made an offering.
The politician and clergyman of San Michele Di Ganzaria refused to travel the procession distant from its authoritative way and denounced those liable for diverting it.
A Sicilian archbishop said helium hoped it would deter others from doing thing akin successful future.
“You should ne'er invoke God oregon his name, which is surely not connected the broadside of the mafiosi, who are convulsive and ruthless men,” the archbishop of Catania, Luigi Renna, said successful a statement.
The radical was convicted of disturbing a spiritual lawsuit and incitement to perpetrate crimes. The 8 ringleaders received three-year terms, and the others were sentenced to betwixt six months and 2 years, 9 months successful jail.
“This condemnation is surely going to marque radical suffer, but I anticipation that the suffering volition carnivore fruit,” the archbishop said.
This was by nary means the archetypal clip a spiritual procession has stopped extracurricular the location of a mafia boss. Religion has ever been astatine the bosom of organised transgression successful Italy. The Camorra commune to Saint Januarius, the patron saint of Naples for assistance and successful Palermo, Reggio Calabria and Naples, it has go customary to halt spiritual processions extracurricular the homes of the bosses to wage tribute to them. Many mobsters spot themselves arsenic portion of a religious, cult-like group, invoking the assistance of saints. Religious statues are often made to bow successful homage to mafia bosses contempt authorities’ efforts to halt the practice.
In 2014, Francesco Milito, bishop of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi, successful Calabria, banned spiritual processions aft a statue of the Virgin Mary was utilized to honour a notorious transgression boss.
Early successful his papacy, Pope Francis described these practices arsenic “deviant spirituality” and successful 2020 the Pontifical International Marian Academy set up a section to “free Mary from the mafia and from transgression powers”.
In 2010 leaders from the ’Ndrangheta, aggravated astatine religion officials for excluding them from the yearly Easter procession successful Sant’Onofrio, successful Calabria, got their revenge by opening occurrence connected a prior’s location successful a drive-by shooting.
Reuters contributed to this report
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