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Free the Virgin Mary from mafias and criminal organizations

Pope Francis thanked the Pontifical International Marian Academy (PAMI) for the institution of a Department for the analysis and study of criminal and mafia phenomena, “to free the figure of the Virgin Mary from the influence of criminal organizations.”

“Marian devotion is a religious-cultural heritage that must be safeguarded in its original purity, freeing it from superstructures, powers or conditions that do not meet the evangelical criteria of justice, freedom, honesty and solidarity,” the Holy Father wrote in a letter. sent on August 15, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, to Fr. Stefano Cecchin, OFM, President of the International Pontifical Marian Academy.

As reported Vatican NewsIn the letter, Pope Francis recalled that among the examples of distorted spirituality that are related to the Virgin, are the “bows” of the Marian images in front of the houses of the mafia bosses during the processions.

Pope Francis also expressed his desire that Marian shrines become increasingly “citadels of prayer, centers of evangelical action, places of conversion, cornerstones of Marian piety.”

Speaking to Vatican News, Fr Cecchin explained that unfortunately in Italy “there is a weak religiosity that is manipulated by those who know how to manipulate the hearts and feelings of people, not only from the point of view of crime, but also from other forms, including healing magicians and healers ”.

The priest explained that “the figure of Mary is used precisely to keep people enslaved by exaggerating the figure of ‘Mary as a woman slave of God, subjected’ who resigns herself to the fate of her Son who dies before power. And so is this whole reality of enslaving and not helping people to live a true religiosity ”.

Regarding the new Department of analysis and study of criminal and mafia phenomena, Fr. Cecchin specified that “it involves a large number of magistrates, criminologists, people from the army, the State and the Church, precisely to work together for the good of the human person and of society, of the ‘common home’ as Pope Francis says ”.

Regarding the reverences of the Marian images in the processions before the houses of the mafia bosses, the president of PAMI was energetic: “This is not religion! It is a superstition. How is religion read by these leaders, by these mafias? As a reality for which God also submits to them. And does the Virgin also bow down to them and patronize them and their authority? They almost want to teach people that God is with them. So they also want to use people’s religious feelings so that they are not free, but slaves. “

In his letter, Pope Francis also greeted the promoters, speakers and participants of the study day that will take place on September 18 to identify “effective responses” to a necessary “cultural operation to raise awareness of consciences.”

Father Cecchin said that “on September 18 all the way and the projects will be presented. We will start the courses in October. The idea is that then every year, on May 13, “the feast of the Virgin of Fatima,” there will be a national conference that gives the fruits of this work.

“The Pope has told us that the Academy should be a meeting place, a place for dialogue. We are also working with Muslims. We have created the Muslim Christian Marian Commission. And we will also start the courses with the mosque in Rome. Also with them on these aspects of misinterpretation of religion or how religion is used to divide and create problems. God, on the other hand, is love and not fear or punishment ”, concluded Father Cecchin.

The Pontifical Academy Mariana Internationalis (PAMI) explains on its website that it is “a scientific institution of the Holy See dedicated to promoting and favoring ‘Mariological’ science in view of the promotion of an authentic Marian piety”.

PAMI was instituted by Pope Saint John XXIII with the Charter apostolic increasingly, of December 8, 1959, in which it is explained that the pontifical academy has the task of encouraging Mariological studies through international Marian Mariological congresses and any other type of academic meetings, as well as the subsequent publication of the studies

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