Despite vocal condemnations by church authorities, Italy's organized crime still has close ties to Catholic rites and traditions. This, said sociologist Alessandra Dino, who has written a book on the links between the church and the mafia, is no surprise: the connection stretches back to the very origins of organized crime. The church, says social activist Vincenzo Linarello, who has funded co-op businesses that the mafia has targeted for their refusal to pay protection money, has been silent on the mobsters' exhibited religiosity for too long.
http://www.globalpost.com/print/5576259
