IN the stronghold of an Italian crime syndicate believed to be richer and more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated!” During a Mass on June 21 in the southern region of Calabria Pope Francis made clear that even if the mob families continued to go to Mass and decorated their homes and hideouts with religious pictures they had cut themselves off from communion with the Church and with God personal interests and exploitation,” Pope Francis said to applause from an estimated 250,000 people gathered in a field near the town of Sibari “When one does not adore the Lord God like those who live lives of crime and violence knows the signs and consequences of this sin This is what the ‘Ndrangheta is: the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good.” The ‘Ndrangheta is a crime syndicate based in Calabria The Pope began his nine-hour visit to the Diocese of Cassano allo Ionio meeting prisoners at the Rosetta Sisca jail in Castrovillari he met the father and grandmothers of Nicola Campolongo a three-year-old killed with his grandfather in January Italian police said it appeared the boy was caught in the crossfire between rival clans over a drug deal In a speech to all the detainees and staff Pope Francis called for prisons to offer programs aimed at rehabilitation: “When this objective is overlooked the penalty becomes an instrument only of punishment and social retaliation which damages both the individual and society.” The Pope also told the prisoners to use their time in prison to think about the impact of their crimes on their families “The Lord is a master at rehabilitation,” the Pope said “He takes us by the hand and brings us back into the social community always understands; it is up to us to let ourselves be understood Pope Francis made his usual request for prayers The Pope also visited a hospice for the terminally ill where a doctor removed a small splinter from one of his fingers Although he did not give a formal speech at the facility Italian news media quoted him as telling the staff patients and their family members that holding and caressing someone are the best uses of one’s hands “the caress from God’s hands touches the depths of one’s being” Before having lunch with a group of poor families assisted by the diocesan Caritas and with participants in an addiction-recovery program Pope Francis stopped in the diocesan cathedral for a meeting with priests The Pope handed out copies of his prepared text and spent an hour personally greeting each priest and listening and responding to their questions the Pope urged them to remember “the joy of being priests” of being called by the Lord “to follow him and be with him in order to go out to others generous channels through which his love and grace flow” and not “screens” where the priest was the star who blocked access to God Among the many pastoral concerns of priests “It is a work the Lord asks us to do in a special way at this time which is a difficult time both for the family as an institution and for families because of the (financial) crisis,” the Pope said “It is precisely when times are tough,” he said that “God makes known to us his closeness his grace and the prophetic power of his word.” The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929 accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians who have walked upon and cared for this land for thousands of years We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader Frank Costello was an Italian American Mafia gangster and crime boss who had a net worth equal to $1 billion at the time of his death in 1973 (adjusting for inflation) Frank ran one of the wealthiest and most-powerful criminal organizations in history his illicit empire generated the equivalent of $60 billion (after adjusting for inflation) in revenue Frank Costello was born in Cassano allo Ionio Italy in January 1891 and passed away in February 1973 He rose to the top of organized crime in America and controlled a gambling empire while having political influence Costello was known as "The Prime Minister of the Underworld" He led the Luciano crime family which was later called the Genovese crime family The Lucianos were one of the Five Families who operated in New York City He was introduced to gang activities at a young age after boarding a ship to the United States in 1895 He worked for the Morello gang and met Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and hit it off as friends and partners In 1961 the United States Supreme Court upheld a decision that stripped him of his U.S citizenship but set aside a deportation order © 2025 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved