AP: 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 Alfano on Sunday denounced the tribute in Oppido Mamertina, a Calabrian town and `ndrangheta crime syndicate stronghold, as `’deplorable and disgusting.” He praised three Carabinieri policemen who abandoned the procession in disapproval.
On June 21, Francis, visiting Calabria, had denounced the `ndrangheta for its “adoration of evil” 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. More here.
