Pope Francis has praised the life and testimony of Italian Father Pino Puglisii, 30 years after he was gunned down by mafia hitmen, a result of his vocal opposition to the mafia and his efforts to save youth from organized crime, the Crux website reports today (August 21, 2023).
In a letter dated July 31 and addressed to Archbishop Corrado Lorefice of Palermo -- the heart of Italian mob territory in Sicily -- Francis called Puglisi a "good priest and merciful witness of the Father," and he thanked God for "the gift of the Blessed Marty Don Pino Puglisi, son and pastor of the beloved Palermitan church and the whole of Sicily.
Puglisi received multiple death threats and was gunned down in the middle of the street outside his Palermo parish on his birthday, Sept. 15, 1993.
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