ROME — Brushing aside worries about his health and veiled threats against his safety, Pope Francis headed deep into Italian mob territory Saturday to pray in a town where a three-year-old child was gunned down in a January shootout.
After a period of focusing on international issues — including war-torn Syria, a trip to the Holy Land, Vatican visits from the leaders of Israel and Palestine, plus a recent visit from President Obama — Francis again turns his attention to Italy, where he first made his name as a tradition-busting pontiff.
THE VATICAN: Pope prays with Israeli, Palestinian leaders
Francis travelled by helicopter to Cassano all'Ionio, around 275 miles southeast of Rome. The town earned headlines in January, when three-year-old Nicola "Coco" Campolongo and his grandfather were hit by stray bullets and killed during a shootout involving the 'Ndrangheta — the organized crime organization that exercises a commanding influence in Calabria, the area at the toe of Italy's boot-shaped peninsula.
The Vatican said Francis would address two of southern Italy's most endemic problems during his one-day trip: the influence of organized crime and unemployment among young people.
However, the trip comes amid speculation about Francis' health. While the Vatican says he is fine, the 77-year-old pontiff cancelled a handful of obligations this week and doctors have said he should scale back his schedule to conserve his strength.
Calabria is the source of alleged mob threats against Francis. Last year, anti-mob prosecutor Nicola Gratteri said the pope's reform agenda was making the 'Ndrangheta "very nervous" and that Francis could become a target for the group.
"For many years, the mob has laundered money and made investments with the complicity of the church," Gratteri said, noting those activities have become more difficult due to recent reforms. The Vatican has downplayed the threats.
According to retired church historian Fr. Alistair Sear, it is unlikely any of that was taken into consideration when Francis planned his trip.
"I think we have seen enough to know that the Holy Father is a man who decides to do something and then does it, whatever the circumstances," Sear said.
For the faithful in Rome, there was a tinge of worry as the pope headed south.
"He is a holy man who knows what he is doing and who is surrounded by smart people, but I still pray for him and his mission," said Sister Maria Theresa Nuñez, 30, a Venezuelan nun living in Rome.
Pasquale Paci, a 54-year-old hotel worker, said: "It seems strange to say after he gets involved with Syria and Israel and Palestine, but I worry a little about a trip like this one," he said.
The 'Ndrangheta, less well known internationally than the Sicilian Mafia, is Italy's most entrenched organized crime organization, in part because its reliance on family ties rather than friendships or ceremonial rites make it difficult for police to infiltrate. The organization has operations that stretch as far as Australia and Germany, resulting in annual revenue in the range of $75 billion — around 3.5% of Italy's gross domestic product — according to Demoskopika, a research firm based in Calabria.
But the 'Ndrangheta is also highly religious, often paying for Catholic church initiatives and seeking the blessings of local priests, who will change their plans on short notice to officiate at mob weddings, funerals and baptisms. Sometimes, religious processions will pause in front of the homes of 'Ndrangheta leaders in order to bless the inhabitants.
In April, bishops in Calabria raised eyebrows by issuing a statement calling the mob a "cancer." Francis is expected to further probe that sentiment as he seeks to sever ties between the church and crime gangs. Previous popes have denounced the mob's influence in Italy but none have been successful in curbing it.
Additionally, the pope will broach the topic of youth unemployment, which, according to Eurostat, is a bigger problem in Calabria than in any other part of the European Union, with 56% of workers under the age of 25 unemployed.
"I think it's very positive that the pope is getting involved in issues as complex as these," said Ornella Sgroi, a Sicilian journalist who writes about organized crime. "But whether he can do anything about it we'll have to wait and see."
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