Crusading anti-mafia journalist Roberto Saviano issued a scathing criticism Friday of the church that hosted Thursday's lavish funeral of a mafia boss.
"On December 24, 2006, Rome's Don Bosco church refused to hold the funeral of (right-to-die activist and artist) Piergiorgio Welby, because he had decided to end his own suffering," Saviano wrote on Facebook. "The same church yesterday welcomed the funeral of clan boss Vittorio Casamonica, whose coffin was accompanied by a band playing The Godfather theme." His post garnered 10,000 'likes' and has been shared 4,000 times. Welby was an Italian poet and painter who battled to establish his right to die, leading to a debate about euthanasia in Italy.
Also on Friday, anti-mafia commission president Rosy Bindi said the funeral is "an answer to those who have been denying the presence of the mafia in the capital".
"It is a serious wound for Italy," Bindi added. "There is still too much negationism. Unfortunately this affects all of us, it affects our home, it affects the capital of Italy".
A fellow commission member chimed in, saying the Casamonica funeral created "shameful scenes that should be deleted".
"#Casamonica funeral, shameful scenes that should be deleted," tweeted Democratic Party (PD) Lower House MP Ernesto Magorno. "One of the ugliest pages in the history of Italy".
Vittorio Casamonica, 65, was given a send-off to remember on Thursday as rose petals were thrown from a helicopter and an orchestra played the theme tune of the celebrated mobster film The Godfather. The deceased was a prominent member of the Casamonica clan, which has been held responsible for drug trafficking, racketeering and prostitution in the area southeast of Rome. The funeral was held in Don Bosco church, on the outskirts of the capital. The coffin arrived in a black carriage with gilded bas-reliefs, drawn by six black horses. To welcome him, an orchestra played the theme song of the famous Francis Ford Coppola film. An image of Padre Pio adorned his coffin while posters with slogans such as "You have conquered Rome, now conquer heaven" and "Vittorio Casamonica king of Rome" appeared in front of the parish church. They portrayed Casamonica with a crown on his head and with the Colosseum and the dome of St Peter's in the background. A large crowd of people turned up to bid him farewell. "He was a good person," mourners said as they gathered at the end of the mass. After the service, the coffin was taken from the church in a Rolls-Royce and the band played the soundtrack of another famous film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
"Will they need another funeral to understand who really rules Italy's capital?" said MPs from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Italy's second-largest party after the ruling PD.
The M5S also called for the resignation of Mayor Ignazio Marino, "who never knows what's going on in his city, not even when a helicopter is going around scattering rose petals".
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