In this Monday, July 2, 2014 photo made available Sunday July 6, 2014, a Madonna statue is carried during religious procession in Oppido Mamertina, Calabria region, Southern Italy. In apparent defiance of Pope Francis, the church procession has detoured from its route to honor a convicted mobster under house arrest. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano on Sunday denounced the tribute in Oppido Mamertina, a Calabrian town and 鈥榥drangheta crime syndicate stronghold, as 鈥樷�檇eplorable and disgusting.鈥欌�� He praised three Carabinieri policemen who abandoned the procession in disapproval. AP
ROME 鈥� In apparent defiance of Pope Francis, a church procession detoured from its route through a southern Italian town to honor a convicted mobster under house arrest.
Interior Minister Angelino聽Alfano聽on Sunday denounced the tribute in聽Oppido聽Mamertina, a Calabrian town and 鈥榥drangheta聽crime syndicate stronghold, as 鈥渄eplorable and disgusting.鈥� He praised three聽Carabinieri聽policemen who abandoned the procession in disapproval.
On June 21, Francis, visiting Calabria, had denounced the 鈥榥drangheta聽for its 鈥渁doration of evil鈥� and said its members were excommunicated.
The July 2 procession included clergy, the mayor, parents pushing baby strollers and dozens of local men carrying on their shoulders an ornate Madonna statue.
Carabinieri聽officer Andrea Marino said he and his fellow officer walked away from the procession after the detour and headed to the church to complain about what happened.
One of Calabria鈥檚 anti-Mafia prosecutors, Nicola聽Gratteri, told The Associated Press that the detour to the mobster鈥檚 house appeared to be a 鈥渃hallenge to the diktat鈥� of Francis.
鈥楴drangheta, a global cocaine trafficker, is one of the world鈥檚 most powerful crime syndicates. Religious rituals hold an important place in the mobsters鈥� mentality.
Oppido聽Mamertino鈥檚聽bishop, Monsignor Francesco聽Milito, said he would take undescribed 鈥渕easures鈥� against those exploiting the church procession to pay homage to the 82-year-old local boss. The mobster, because of his age, was allowed to serve out his life sentence at home for murder.
Elsewhere in southern Italy, other 鈥榥drangheta聽members appeared to have paid attention to the pope鈥檚 words but perhaps not in the way he intended.
Another bishop, Monsignor Giancarlo聽Bregantini, told Vatican Radio Sunday that some 200 inmates in the maximum-security section of聽Larino聽prison told their chaplain they would boycott Mass, reasoning if they were excommunicated it made no sense for them to attend anymore.
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