Mafia targeting the pope? Vatican says no cause for alarm

AFP - The Vatican has downplayed a warning that Pope Francis could be targeted by the mafia because of his reforms to Holy See financial bodies.

"There is no reason for concern, and there is no need to feed alarmism," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.

He added that the Vatican -- and, by extension, the pope -- was "extremely calm" regarding the alleged threat.

The warning was voiced by Nicola Gratteri, a respected state prosecutor in the southern Calabria region, who said the vicious local mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, is "nervous" the pope is threatening its interests.

"Those who up to now have fed off the power and wealth coming directly from the Church are nervous, upset," he said in an interview published by the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano this week.

The pope, Gratteri said, "is dismantling the Vatican's economic centres. If the mafia bosses can trip him up, they won't hesitate."

Gratteri didn't substantiate his warning. But his words reverberated through the Italian and foreign media, sparking fears for the pontiff's safety.

Initially the Vatican tried to dismiss the allegation. But from Thursday it started saying it was simply taking the warning in its stride.

Implied in Gratteri's comments is that Italy's mafia has its tentacles in the Vatican's obscure financial dealings and agencies, some of which have been marred by scandal.

Since taking the papacy in March, Pope Francis has set about cleaning up the Holy See's vast holdings and making them more transparent.

One of his first steps was to install a special commission tasked with investigating the Vatican's bank and another to probe Vatican finances in general.

http://www.france24.com/en/20131115-mafia-targeting-pope-vatican-sa...

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Comment by Cryptocurrency on November 27, 2013 at 12:38am: Looks like you might have been right apeman. Check it out:

Jesuit Trained Pope Trashes Capitalism in Call for Worldwide Socialism

Comment by apeman2502 on November 21, 2013 at 9:32pm: Krypto, you are a sage and I seek guidance and wisdom on 12160 pages daily if possible, HOWEVER, the odds that Francis is anything but a 'Richard Gage the Shill' protigy are slim to none. You don't rise up through the ranks of that cult and receive approval by The Cardinal Council, or whatever the fuck they call themselves, without 'digging in' with the inside crowd. The mafia would no more put a hit on the pope then I would destroy the Red Hook Brewery. When I was in my first through third years of college, I used to walk by the doorless one-car garage on Leary Way where the original Red Hook brewmasters made IPA for The Phinney Ridge Cafe. It used to be their sole recipe, and it still tastes so good I sometimes weep uncontrollably with religious fervor each time I crack one open. Three is my limit for the past decade, with services held every month or two. IPA is a religion of convenience.

The catholic church has a habit of murdering followers of Jesus and students of God, including popes, so any 'pity for the church' effort would not be believed should the order to murder the pope be tried as part of a pope promo. If we good find ''The Lady in Red' who tackled Benny the Rat last Christmas during his yearly strut to Christmas mass and have her provide some commentary, we may find the best answer to the puzzle. Will they whack the pope? Brought to you by HEPA filters, your home's protection against airborne radiation while you sleep.

Comment by Old Denmark on November 16, 2013 at 4:49am: Mafia is just a fancy word for Pope goons. Probably just an excuse for Francis to hire more security and get more laws to protect the Vatican fortress.

Comment by arisuta2 on November 16, 2013 at 4:39am: Good riddance to him if they do manage to kill him. The sooner the entire religious edifice comes crashing down, the better. I hate the mafia, wherever and whatever they may be called locally but my loathing for religion is far deeper.

Comment by Cryptocurrency on November 15, 2013 at 11:35pm: You might be right Ape. The C.I.A traditionally does pull heavily from Catholic Universities. The F.B.I pools heavily from Jesuit schools, and it's looking as if this NSA center in Utah may be a strong indicator that the federal government may be pooling heavily from the Mormons. The common denominator? People of faith do not very often question things in a logical sense the way a scientist would. They operate more on feeling than logic. A fatal flaw to be certain.

Though, this Pope may be cut from a different cloth. Don't forget John Paul the 1st attempted to investigate the Masonic influence in Vatican square and he was poisoned and killed 33 days into his papacy. This new Pope Francis was also an unlikely candidate being from Argentina. Not exactly a globalist ally by any stretch of the conspiracy theorist's imagination.

Argentina’s tango with globalization

Comment by apeman2502 on November 15, 2013 at 11:13pm: It is a pity ploy. Centuries of murder and exploitation of children and adults at home and abroad are NOT about to stop because of this new pope. Every head of the CIA has been a member of the Vatican's Knights of Malta organization, and the cases of child sex abuse and slavery have been continuous with the CIA cult since the CIA's inception. White slavery by The Carlyle Group and the CIA confirm that old bad habits die hard. Francis is a phony representative of any morality, and pretends to be a representative of Christ.