Pope Condemns Slavery: Speaks Against Mafia “Stop Wrecking People’s Lives And Repent”

The Pope condemns slavery and expresses his indignation by speaking out against mafia organizations for exploiting and enslaving people. He called on the Mafiosi on Sunday to repent; in words that are reminiscent of an impassioned plea made by Pope John Paul II 20 years ago.

Speaking extemporaneously after his weekly Angelus blessing in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff spoke about the mafia for the first time since he became pontiff two months ago.

High profile killings by the Italian mafia have declined since the 1990s, but through other illegal activities such as prostitution, extortion and drug trafficking they still wield a heavy influence over the whole of Italy and its economy.

Italy’s main crime groups – the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and the Camorra from around the southern city of Naples – have a joint annual turnover of 116 billion euros ($150 billion), according to statistics by the United Nations.

That figure is more than the annual sales of Italy’s largest corporation, oil giant Eni.

Pope Francis recalled the example of the Sicilian anti-mafia priest Giuseppe Puglisi, who was killed by gunmen in 1993 outside of his home in the island’s capital, Palermo. Puglisi was beatified on Saturday.

The pope said, "My thoughts are with the suffering of women, men and also children who are exploited by the many mafias who make them slaves, through prostitution, through many social pressures.”

"They cannot do this, they cannot make our brothers slaves, we must pray to the Lord to make these mafiosi convert to God."

In one of his most famous address in Agrigento, Sicily, in May 1993, Pope John Paul II angrily called on the mafiosi to “repent, because one day you will face the judgment of God.”

Condemning slavery has been a recurring theme of the pope’s indignation, particularly for the poor and helpless who are victims of this dehumanizing practice.

Earlier this month, the pope condemned as “slave labor” the working conditions of the Bangladesh government workers who died in the factory’s collapse.

Pope Francis said he was shocked to learn that some of the workers were living on less than $50 a month.

He said during the mass, “This was the payment of these people who have died…And this is called ‘slave labor.’”