Pope Francis, in his homily addressed to a crowd of faithful in Southern Italy on Saturday, condemned the mafia-style group 'Ndrangheta, issuing the strongest attack on crime groups since Pope John II admonished the Sicilian mafia in 1993. 

The pontiff remarked that the crime syndicate is an example of the "adoration of the devil and contempt of the common good," saying that the mafiosi are excommunicated.

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"Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God," said the pope before tens of thousands of people.

Francis is the first pope to ever condemn an organized crime group 'excommunicated', effectively banishing its members from the Church, disallowing them to participate in the Holy Mass and to receive the Sacraments.

The 'Ndrangheta is one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the world, operating in around 30 countries, including Germany and Australia, according to Demoskapia, a social research institution based in Calabria. The firm estimates the group's annual revenue at US$72 billion which it makes mostly from drug trafficking, loan-sharking, racketeering and other criminal activities.

Vatican Spokesperson Father Ciro Benedettini clarified that the pope's admonition was a direct message to members of the organized crime group that they have distanced themselves from God through their crimes and are, therefore, not allowed to participate in the Church's activities. It is an attempt at isolating the ''mafiosi from within their communities," said Benedettini, and did not in any way constitute a formal decree on excommunication, which is a legal process.

The Pope visited southern Calabria in part to comfort the father of Nicola Campolongco, whose body was found charred in a burnt car following an attack allegedly related to drug turf wars in the region. The pontiff earlier denounced the murder of the boy and asked those responsible to repent. 

TagsPope Francis, 'Ndrangheta, Italian crime syndicate, excommunication, Sicilian Mafia