The Church's Response to Matteo Messina Denaro's Statements

"We are well aware of Matteo Messina Denaro's statements calling the Church full of corrupt individuals. These statements speak for themselves," says Monsignor Angelo Giurdanella, the Bishop of Mazara del Vallo, following the death of Matteo Messina Denaro.

Trapani's Police Chief Salvatore La Rosa has prohibited a funeral for the boss. "At this moment, we as a Church stand on the side of the victims," Giurdanella stated. "We stand on the side of justice, because the people who have endured every form of heinous violence, marked by death, should feel supported by urgent processes that civil society, law enforcement, the judiciary, but also the educational and ecclesiastical community, must initiate. This is to free this territory from the culture of oppression, bullying, and the logic of the strongest."

Monsignor Giurdanella further emphasized, "We must begin with families, with schools, to shake off this burden that we have carried for many years. In the months following Matteo Messina Denaro's arrest, I have gathered, among the youth and the healthy forces of our territory, a cry of hope to free ourselves from this octopus (the criminal mafia) that keeps us suspended and does not allow us to live."