{"id":22121,"date":"2017-09-21T19:29:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T19:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics-11567\/"},"modified":"2017-09-21T19:29:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-21T19:29:00","slug":"pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis: Fighting the mafia starts with cleaning up politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 \/ 01:29 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In a meeting with Italy's Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission on Thursday, Pope Francis said that dismantling the mafia begins with a political commitment to social justice and economic reform.<\/p>\n

Corruption \u201chas a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but\u2026it subtracts and robs,\u201d Pope Francis said Sept. 21.<\/p>\n

The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption.<\/p>\n

Called a \u201cMartyr of Justice\u201d by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges \u2013 Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino \u2013 both killed in 1992.<\/p>\n

The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced<\/strong><\/a> organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were \u201cexcommunicated,\u201d which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion.<\/p>\n

The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because \u201cthey steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed \u2013 and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.
\n\u00a0
\nFirst, politics must enable charity \u201cto ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.\u201d And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty.<\/p>\n

The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the \u2018normal\u2019 condition, the solution for those who are \u2018shrewd,\u2019 the way to reach ones goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year<\/strong><\/a>, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a \u201cfertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He claimed that these criminal organizations, whose members often claim to live a devout Christian life while continuing to carry out heinous crimes, create a \u201csocial wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then challenged the international community to greater collaboration and determination to ensure justice and defense for the weakest in society.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 \/ 01:29 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In a meeting with Italy’s Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission on Thursday, Pope Francis said that dismantling the mafia begins with a political commitment to social justice and economic reform.<\/p>\n

Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21.<\/p>\n

The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption.<\/p>\n

Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992.<\/p>\n

The Pope’s criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced<\/strong><\/a> organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion.<\/p>\n

The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people’s hope and dignity.”<\/p>\n

However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.
\n 
\nFirst, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty.<\/p>\n

The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”<\/p>\n

Earlier this year<\/strong><\/a>, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.”<\/p>\n

“The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said.<\/p>\n

He claimed that these criminal organizations, whose members often claim to live a devout Christian life while continuing to carry out heinous crimes, create a “social wound.”<\/p>\n

He then challenged the international community to greater collaboration and determination to ensure justice and defense for the weakest in society. <\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis: Fighting the mafia starts with cleaning up politics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 \/ 01:29 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a meeting with Italy's Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission on Thursday, Pope Francis said that dismantling the mafia begins with a political commitment to social justice and economic reform. Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21. The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption. Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992. The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion. The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.” However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.   First, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty. The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. 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Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21. The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption. Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992. The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion. The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.” However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.   First, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty. The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. He claimed that these criminal organizations, whose members often claim to live a devout Christian life while continuing to carry out heinous crimes, create a “social wound.” He then challenged the international community to greater collaboration and determination to ensure justice and defense for the weakest in society. \" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-21T19:29:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/Pope_Francis_arrives_in_St_Peters_Square_for_the_general_audience_Sept_21_2016_Credit_Daniel_Ibanez_CNA.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/\",\"name\":\"Pope Francis: Fighting the mafia starts with cleaning up politics\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-21T19:29:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-21T19:29:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 \/ 01:29 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a meeting with Italy's Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission on Thursday, Pope Francis said that dismantling the mafia begins with a political commitment to social justice and economic reform. 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The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.” However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.   First, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty. The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. 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Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21. The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption. Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992. The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion. 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Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. He claimed that these criminal organizations, whose members often claim to live a devout Christian life while continuing to carry out heinous crimes, create a “social wound.” He then challenged the international community to greater collaboration and determination to ensure justice and defense for the weakest in society. ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pope Francis: Fighting the mafia starts with cleaning up politics","og_description":"Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 \/ 01:29 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a meeting with Italy's Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission on Thursday, Pope Francis said that dismantling the mafia begins with a political commitment to social justice and economic reform. Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21. The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption. Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992. The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion. The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.” However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.   First, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty. The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. 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Corruption “has a contagious and parasitic nature, because it does not nourish what good produces, but…it subtracts and robs,” Pope Francis said Sept. 21. The meeting landed on the 27th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Rosario Livatino, who was a deputy prosecutor in an Italian court before being killed by mafia for his fight against corruption. Called a “Martyr of Justice” by John Paul II, the Italian magistrate was commended by Pope Francis, who also praised two other judges – Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both killed in 1992. The Pope's criticism of the mafia made global headlines when he publicly denounced organized crime in 2014. He said members of it were “excommunicated,” which was not a reflection of canon law per se but a call to conversion. The fight against the mafia and organized crime is essential, the Pope said Thursday, particularly because “they steal the common good, taking away people's hope and dignity.” However, the battle extends beyond the mafia to corrupt organizations which must also be reclaimed and transformed – and this needs commitment on an economic and political level, he said.   First, politics must enable charity “to ensure a future of hope and to promote the dignity of each person.” And second, economic reform must be shifted to remove systems which magnify inequality and poverty. The Pope warned that corrupt organizations can serve as an alternative social structure which roots itself in areas where justice and human rights are lacking. Corruption, he noted, always finds a way to justify itself, presenting itself as the ‘normal’ condition, the solution for those who are ‘shrewd,’ the way to reach ones goals.”Earlier this year, Pope Francis express concern that these criminal groups were using economic, social, and political weaknesses as a “fertile ground to achieve their deplorable projects.” “The money of dirty affairs and mafia crimes is blood money and produces an unequal power,” he said. He claimed that these criminal organizations, whose members often claim to live a devout Christian life while continuing to carry out heinous crimes, create a “social wound.” He then challenged the international community to greater collaboration and determination to ensure justice and defense for the weakest in society. ","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/pope-francis-fighting-the-mafia-starts-with-cleaning-up-politics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pope Francis: Fighting the mafia starts with cleaning up politics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}