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"Holy Mafia" - The Camorra’s baby gangsters

May 21, 2021

Father Luigi Merola led a parish on the outskirts of Naples until the local mafia threatened his life. He then retired from active ministry, but for years he’s been a street priest, running a youth center.

https://p.dw.com/p/3tdG3
DW Reporter | Don Luigi Merola - Pfarrer in Neapel kämpft gegen Verehrung junger Mafiosi
Image: Philipp Zahn/DW

Father Luigi Merola opposes the hero-worship of young criminals, the so-called "baby gangsters". In the streets of Naples there are hundreds of murals and makeshift altars that pay tribute to young Mafiosi who have been killed. The Camorra organized crime group celebrates them and declares them heroes.

Politicians are demanding an end to the practice, which encourages impressionable young people to let themselves be recruited by the Camorra. Unemployment is high in southern Italy, and a lot of young people have no prospects. That’s what drives many towards organized crime.

When it comes to taking action, Naples is divided. Some want to fight the powerful Camorra families, while others are calling for better conditions for the youth of southern Italy.

A report by Philipp Zahn

 

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