Pope Francis repeats mafia condemnation

(ANSA) - Vatican City, February 24 - Pope Francis has again denounced organized crime and the mafia, condemning those who are deliberately violent to others and to the environment.
    Francis, who last year excommunicated all mafiosi, welcomed pilgrims from the Diocese of Cassano allo Jonio who he visited last year after mafia in the region murdered and burned a small child.
    The group travelled to the Vatican Saturday as a kind of 'return visit' to the pope following last June's visit when he celebrated Mass on the plains of the small town of Sibari in Calabria, a region that has been racked by violence, corruption and mafia activity.
    Police have said that the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta mafia has become the most powerful of Italy's mafias for its virtual stranglehold on the European cocaine trade.
    The pope again urged mafia members and supporters to repent, Vatican Radio reported.
    "Those who love Jesus, who hear and receive the Word and live in a sincere response to the call of the Lord cannot in any way give themselves over to works of evil," Francis said in Saturday's message.
    Merely performing the motions are not enough, he said.
    "The Lord is waiting for you and the Church welcomes you if your willingness to serve good is as clear and public as was your choice to serve evil," said the pope.
    "Dear brothers and sisters of Cassano, the beauty of your land is a gift from God and a heritage to preserve and pass in all its splendor onto future generations," added Francis. "Therefore, all must courageously commit to ensuring it is not scarred beyond repair by narrow interests, above all the competent institutions". This week, the pope is on a spiritual retreat for Lent.
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