The pope invites the faithful to free Marian devotions “from superstructures, powers or conditioning that doesn't respond to the Gospel criteria of justice, liberty, honesty and solidarity.”
He wrote it in a letter addressed in light of a conference on religiosity and criminality that will take place in September.
Pope Francis refers to this phenomenon that, unfortunately, still exists in Italy. Here they even used music from the famous film “The Godfather.”
They call it “inchino al boss,” bowing before the boss. It's the distortion of processions originally meant to honor the Blessed Mother or patron saints of a locality to instead pay homage to a mafia boss.
The procession passes in front of the criminal's house. There, people make the statue of Our Lady or the saint bow before the boss' house or stop for a few moments. It's also an act of intimidation used by the mafia boss or clan to assert dominance over a territory.
That's why Pope Francis, in this message, asks local communities to preserve the true meaning of devotional celebrations.
The pope has always spoken out strongly against the mafia. He says mafia bosses are excommunicated, and he's asked them to repent if they don't want to end up in hell. He reminds them that one cannot both believe in God and be part of the mafia.
