Lamezia Terme, Italy, Oct 9, 2011 / 10:33 am
Pope Benedict XVI condemned the organized crime that plagues the far reaches of southern Italy during a one-day visit to the area on Sunday.
He noted the region's beauty, but said “an often vicious criminality wounds the social fabric” and combines with unemployment to make the place “a land that seems to live in a state of constant emergency.”
The Pope made his comments during a homily delivered to over 40,000 people at a public Mass in the town of Lamezia Terme in Calabria.
He urged local people not to be afraid “to live and witness to faith in the various sectors of society.” Instead, he said, they should show themselves as “strong, confident and courageous,” knowing that when they face opposition they can find inspiration in the words of St. Paul: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”
Calabria is home to the secretive Ndrangheta gang, which masterminds much of Europe’s organized crime, including money laundering, drug trafficking and racketeering. The region also has an unemployment rate of about 32 percent, four times higher than the national average.