Pope Francis: More needs to be done to restore dignity to organized crime victims

Vatican City, Sep 19, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Thursday called on participants of the Conference on the Social Use of Assets Confiscated from the Mafia to work toward recovering the well-being — not just the assets — of victims and communities wounded by organized crime.

“I invite you to focus the conversations of these days on the urgency of recovering the well-being of all people, men and women, the good of each one, where everyone counts and no one is discarded,” the pope said in his message originally written in Spanish on the occasion of the conference taking place at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican on Sept. 19–20.

The Holy Father insisted that it is neither “possible nor tolerable” to forget the damage done to the dignity of millions of men and women who suffer “hunger and fear of violence, oppression, or injustice” because of transnational criminal operations.

“Only by understanding this damage can we discern how to assist, protect, and repair aspects essential to resolving conflicts and bringing about peace,” the pope said.

The conference, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Italian anti-Mafia organization Libera, aims to highlight the need for international cooperation and an integrated approach to mitigate the activities and impact of criminal networks and structures.

Pope Francis asked conference participants also to be guided by Catholic social teaching on human dignity and the principle of the common good as outlined in Gaudium et Spes (No. 26), the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world.

The Holy Father also referred to the protocols outlined in the United Nations’ Palermo Convention (2000) as an aid in discussing criminal justice.

In his message, the pope stated organized crime is an attack on the common good that requires political will and a coordinated global response to fight against “one of the most important challenges for the international community.”

“Organized crime, which is defined as a structured group that establishes itself over time and acts together to commit crimes with the aim of obtaining a material or economic benefit, has a transnational vocation and covers all major trafficking,” he said.

“Together with terrorism, [organized crime is] the most important nonmilitary threat to the security of each nation and international economic stability,” he added.

The pope also praised Italian anti-Mafia initiatives dedicated to rebuilding peace and the common good by directing criminal profits “toward repairing the damage caused to victims and to society.”

Before concluding his message with well wishes and the promise of his prayers for those attending the conference, the Holy Father stressed that study and reflection on law and justice should lead participants to take action to build a better world.

“And with these sentiments, I reaffirm my prayers for you and your families, I bless you, and I ask you, please, to pray for me.”