I have previously expressed my admiration for Pope Francis and his extraordinary reforms of the Catholic Church. As someone of Sicilian descent, that admiration has grown even further today after reading the Pope decision to excommunicate Italian Mafia members. On Saturday, the Pope declared “Those who in their life have gone along the evil ways, as in the case of the Mafia, they are not with God, they are excommunicated.”
As someone who is half Sicilian and was raised Catholic, I have always recoiled at how Mafia figures and families continue to portray themselves as religious people while engaging in every possible mortal sin. It is particularly galling to hear the secret oath invoke damnation if the member breaks Omertà, or code of silence.
The Pope singled out the Southern Italian mafia known as “Ndrangheta” as an example of “the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good.” The Ndrangheta is estimated to make an annual 53 billion euros.
The Pope warned mafia leaders that “hell … awaits you if you continue on this road.”
Bravo, Papa, Bravo.
Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air.
The mafia in Italy has been (since circa 2009) dumping nuclear material into the Mediterranean by sinking ships with skulls, garbage, and radioactive material on them (Mafia Contract Out – On Mother Earth).
Recently the Pope declared that maiming, torturing, and destroying the Earth is a sin.
This week the president ordered all departments into action concerning disappearing pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.) because it is a danger to national security (Will We Destroy Food – The Bees? – 2).
Long ago Einstein recalled: “It has been stated by several biologists that, if it were not for the honey bee pollinating plants, humans would only last 3 or 4 years as our food supply would disappear.”
That could only happen if there was a widespread disregard, a Mafia disregard, for life on Earth.
Good for the president and good for the Pope.
We are in far, far more danger than the general public realizes.
Schulte, I’m with you. If only everyone respected and preserved the privacy of the unborn, too. Harris certainly helps explain, in a comment several posts back, how an individual justifies the taking of life:
“… it is the traumatic indoctrination of social-convention-based social norms inherent to the social construction of reality which is the essence and the essential process of the so-called infant-child transition (aka, the terrible twos?) that damages or destroys the inherent, inborn moral compass with which I find that all human persons are inescapably born. The neurological trauma of that transition results in people learning to replace inborn and innate morality with a socially concocted set of ethical constructs in the form of psychological defenses which distort objective reality “in the service of the person’s socially-generated (Freudian-type?) Ego” through neurologically damaging socially-mandated forms of dishonesty which, through ethical conventions, masquerade with self-referential entrapment as honesty defined through dishonesty.”
jonathanturley.org/2014/05/29/kerry-to-snowden-man-up-and-come-back-to-the-united-states/
I will give that we are all indoctrinated to one degree or another. I’m content my congental morality, favoring life, remains free of social contamination. Not a single person alive today regrets having escaped the abortionist, yet every other person favors abortion. How you reconcile such a dual standard that too many people now cling to as birthright, has no precedence, and never will have. Yet if we propose a new law that allows the government to take one of your kidneys for transplant, as needed, effectively removing your choice in the matter, no differently than you remove the choice of a fetus with abortion, not one single person would sign on to such a horrendous proposal. It’s easy to sign on to abortion when you’re already exempt from abortion, not so easy to sign on to forced kidney donation when you are not exempt.
I have deleted two comments from Annie and one from Paul under our civility rule.
Paul, We just finished the 2nd season of Orange/Black. That was a great scene. And this season has a lot of hot, lesbian sex!
Nick – taste is personal, but I really did enjoy the back stories on the inmates and the final scene.
“I have previously expressed my admiration for Pope Francis and his extraordinary reforms of the Catholic Church.” – JT
My sentiments exactly.
Not that it is any of my business how he does his calling.
Just sayin’ …
http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/68496.jpg?zm=1600,1600,1,0,0
Even this nun?
Sicilians and Mafiosa have had a good ameliorating affect on the Catholic Church and its total control over humans. The soon to be dead Pope did not identify just who is ex communicated. If my last name is Corleone and I live here in America am I ex communicated because of what some Corleone did in Sicily? The Pope needs to get rid of the beanie and he needs to ex communicate all pedophile priests. Nuns with rulers gotta go. The odds makers in Vegas say that the Pope will not be having dinner in Palermo at an outdoor café any time soon. Sicilians should be proud of the Mafia and if it is in their families then especially proud. We stood up to the American government when they told us we could not make Dago Red Wine and sell it to the public. Mussolini was afraid of the Mafia. So was Hitler.
Al – for those who have been watching the second season of Orange is the New Black, there is a very funny scene about nuns and rulers.
Paul, The Pope only has one lung, and Roman summers can be brutal. However, he cancelled many appointments and many Papal audiences, w/ people who had invitations. That is not routine. He has put on ~30lbs. since being appointed Pope. I think the Vatican may be spinning a health problem. The man is acting like a man w/o much time left. I hope I’m wrong. This guy is the real deal.
I agree with the Pope concerning mob mentality. A little scripture and video for edification.
Pro 26:10 The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.
Pro 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Nick ~ I think he just drew a bullseye on his back…
I’ll give a bit of history and hopefully it won’t bring out the bashers. There has been, for generations, a very despicable alliance between the highly secretive[More than even the Swiss] Vatican Bank and the Mafia. Shortly after Francis became Pope her canned the Vatican Bank Board. Now he is excommunicating. While this blessed man refuses the Pope mobile many fear his being killed by jihadists or other religious nuts. When he cleaned up the Vatican Bank my fear was the Mafia killing him. My fear just increased. Rumors are he is sick. He has cancelled many meeting this summer.
Nick – latest story from the Vatican is that the Pope normally cuts back his schedule in the summer. Historically, rich Romans left the city for the summer.
Paulette, As strange as it might seem, in their culture it does mean something to them.
I don’t think they’ll give a ratz a$$.
The Pope also spoke yesterday out on the evils of cannabis. There is still a big disconnect w/ his generation regarding alcohol and cannabis. But, this is a good man. Hopefully the Catholic haters will control themselves on this thread.
Dear Paul, with all due respect if only he would do so to all of the Republicans. Of course that is a jest but really. When he excommunicates the Bishops who enabled pediphilia, I’ll start to think he is serious.
I don’t think the Pope will excommunicate those who support the right to abortion, just as he won’t excommunicate homosexuals. Those who support the right to privacy of a woman’s body do not actually commit the abortion themselves Paul.
If only they would do the same to the Catholics who support abortion.
Wow, this Pope plays hardball. I think he will go down in Church history as a reformer. It took a Jesuit.
Bravo indeed!
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