Pope Francis 'may be at risk from Italian mafia'
The Pope's efforts to tackle corruption within the Catholic Church could put him at risk from the Italian mafia, a leading prosecutor warns
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" Pope Francis is at risk of mafia retribution as a result of his determination to clean up corruption and cronyism within the Catholic Church, one of Italy?s best known anti-mob prosecutors said.
Nicola Gratteri, who has lived under police protection for nearly 25 years, said the Jesuit Pope?s campaign to tackle graft was upsetting powerful crime organisations in Italy, which have in the past enjoyed a cosy relationship with the Catholic hierarchy.
?Those who have up until now profited from the power and wealth deriving from the Church are now nervous, agitated. The Pope is dismantling centres of economic power in the Vatican,? said Mr Gratteri, 55, who has spent his career fighting the ?Ndrangheta mafia of Calabria in the far south of Italy.
"I don't know if organised crime is in a position to do something, but certainly they are thinking about it. It could be dangerous. If the godfathers can trip him up, they would not hesitate to do so,? he told Il Fatto Quotidiano, an Italian daily.
The Church had often turned a blind eye to the activities of mafia groups like the ?Ndrangheta said Mr Gratteri, who earlier this year was appointed by Enrico Letta, the prime minister, to a national task force which was ordered to come up with new ways of combating organised crime.
?For years the mafia has laundered money and made investments, taking advantage of the connivance of the Church,? he said.
He gave a few examples, including ?a bishop of Reggio Calabria who refused to criticise a mafia godfather even after he was definitely convicted by the Supreme Court? and the daughter of a known mafia boss who was allowed to marry inside the city?s cathedral.
?She even got a papal blessing,? he said. ?And there are the priests who go to the homes of mafia leaders to drink coffee, giving them strength and legitimisation ... even as they continue to kill and to import cocaine.?
For all their brutality and disdain for the law, the vast majority of mafiosi regard themselves as Catholics.
?We did a survey of prisoners in jail and 88 per cent of mafia guys said they were religious. ?A gunman from the ?Ndrangheta will pray before killing someone.?
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