Speaking to a gathering of tens of thousands of people at the power base of a highly dangerous organized crime group in Italy, Pope Francis Saturday condemned the mafia's "adoration of evil" and declared all mobsters as effectively excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
The pope traveled to, and held a mass in, the southern region of Calabria, the power base of the global drug trafficking syndicate 'Ndrangheta, to comfort the family of a 3-year-old boy who, along with his grandfather, was gunned down in a January shootout involving the mafia.
"Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated," Reuters quoted Pope Francis as saying in impromptu comments at the mass.
People connected with the mafia are highly religious. They often fund some of Roman Catholic Church's programs and seek the blessings of local priests, according to USA Today. In April, bishops in Calabria issues a statement calling the mafia a "cancer."
"This evil must be fought against, it must be pushed aside. We must say no to it," the pope said Saturday, denouncing it for its "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good."
"Our children are asking for it, our young people are asking for it. They are in need of hope and faith can help respond to this need," Francis added.