Pope seeks to ‘ liberate’ Virgin Mary from Mafia

Pope Francis is giving his blessing to a new Vatican think tank that is seeking to prevent the Mafia and organised crime groups from exploiting the image of the Virgin Mary for their own illicit ends.

The Vatican’s Pontifi - c a l M a r i a n A c a d e my launched the think tank at a conference entitled Liberating Mary from the Mafia. It was a reference to the historic relationship between the Italian mob and the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis s ai d t he r e l i g i o u s a n d c u l t u r a l image and patrimony of t he Madonna “must be preser ved in its original purity”. He said any popular displays of devotion to Mary must “conform to the message of the Gospel and the teachings of the church,” and that people participating in them must be true Christians who look out for others.