Pope prays with victims’ families, entreats mafia members to change lives
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis gathered to pray with the families whose loved ones were
killed by mafia violence and entreated mafia members to convert and change their lives.
The Pope made this appeal on Friday evening at St Gregory VII Church in Rome at a
prayer vigil, organized by the Libera Foundation.
Pope Francis listened quietly,
his head hung low, his hands clasped in prayer, as the 842 names of victims of mafia
violence, including 80 children, were read one by one.
During the moving and
prayerful vigil, the Pope expressed his empathy, sympathy and solidarity with 700
people present, whose loved ones were killed by the mafia.
He lauded them
for their witness, their courage to share their suffering with others and their hope
that corruption will be overcome.
And then stern words to the men and women
currently involved in the mafia: “And I feel that I cannot conclude without saying
a word to... the protagonists who are absent today -- the men and women Mafiosi.
"Please
change your lives, repent, stop perpetrating evil,” he said to applause.
“And
we pray for you. I ask this on my knees. It is for your good,” he entreated.“This
life that you live now will not give us pleasure; it will not give us joy. It will
not give you happiness. The power and money that you have now from many dirty dealings,
from many mafia crimes – blood money, power gained with blood – you cannot bring them
with you to the next life,” the Pope continued.
“Repent. You still have time
so as not to end up in hell. And that is what is waiting for you if you continue on
this path,” he said. “You have a father and a mother. Think of them. Cry a little
and repent.”
He concluded his remarks, leading the assembly in a Hail Mary,
followed by the Lord’s Prayer.
The prayer vigil came one day ahead of the
19th Day of Memory and Commitment in remembrance of the innocent victims
of organized crime. On Saturday, hundreds are expected to march in Latina, a city
south of Rome, and then participate in workshop on how civil society can better organize
to bring an end to corruption.