The Pope And The Mafia

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Palermo, Sicily. He celebrated an open air mass for more than 200,000 people.



"Do not give in to the lure of the mafia, which is the path of death, incompatible with the Gospel", said the Pope in Palermo.

Yahoo news reported that Pope Benedict XVI urged crowds in Palermo, Sicily on the 3rd of October, to turn their backs on the "deadly path" of mafia membership.

"Do not give in to the temptations of the Mafia. Do not be scared of confronting evil!" the Pope was reported saying.

This was the Pope's first visit to Sicily since becoming pope in 2005 and had raised hopes that he would help struggle against the ever-pervasive Cosa Nostra.

The mafia exist as a symptom of Sicily's endemic political corruption, its life sustained by a widespread mentality which breeds a general distrust in even the youngest Sicilians - distrust of everybody, including the system of justice.

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