Pope calls on the Mafia to Repent

Editorial | Advent Messenger

On a recent trip deep into Mafia territory Pope Francis has called on the heads of the Mafia in Italy to repent of their violence and crimes.

Time Magazine reports: "Repent," Pope Francis said in his most forceful denouncement of organized crime to date. "There’s still time to not end up in hell, which is what awaits you if you continue on this path."

We should say no to violence but has Pope Francis forgotten that it is his own bishops and priests who baptize mafia babies into their churches and make them members? It is his own bishops and priests who give mafia children their first communion and who perform mafia weddings in their churches and who accept blood-stained mafia money in their church collection boxes?

Has Pope Francis also forgotten that the Vatican Bank has been laundering mafia money for decades? The Vatican has been in business with the mafia and has been the recipient of millions of dollars of mafia money.

Yes, the mafia has much to repent of, but when compared to the gross sins of the medieval church fathers, the mafia's sins don't even come close.

Is Pope Francis trying to cozy up to the mafia bosses and court the mafia? Or is this a true call to repentance? If we denounce mafia acts of violence but accept their blood money then our calls of repentance become nothing more than a propaganda publicity stunt. These so-called "calls" of repentance are only good for making headlines so that the ignorant can suppose that a great work is being done.

But if our calls to repentance are sincere them stop baptizing their babies, stop marrying their children, and stop taking their millions [maybe billions] of dollars, and stop making them feel welcome in the church! Is it just a coincidence that Pope Francis is ignoring the blood money trail?