A church procession in Southeren Italy has been used by mobsters in an act of defiance to Pope Francis.<br /><br />Members of the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate detoured the march, bringing it to a halt outside the house of their convicted boss. <br /><br />The gesture made in honour of the Mafia chief has provoked disgust from Italy’s interior minister who applauded three policemen for abandoning the procession in disapproval.<br /><br />Last month while on a visit to the ‘Ndrangheta stronghold of Calabria, Pope Francis denounced the syndicate for what he called its ‘adoration of evil’ and said its members were excommunicated.<br /><br />‘Ndrangheta is a global cocaine trafficker. Mafia members traditionally revere religious rituals, which are said to hold an important place in the mobsters’ mentality.
