An Italian organization dedicated to honoring victims of mafia violence has donated oil produced at the site where two judges were killed to several Italian dioceses for the annual Holy Thursday Chrism Mass.
Chrism is blessed oil used to sanctify the faithful in the Church's sacraments, including Baptism, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick.
Every year during Holy Week, a special Chrism Mass is held in each diocese where the sacred oils are used in the sacraments for the upcoming year.
Pope Francis was to hold his Chrism Mass at 9:30 a.m. local time in St. Peter's Basilica and later preside over the Mass of the Lord's Supper at a women's detention center in Rome, where he will wash the feet of 12 inmates, according to Crux.
The Quarto Savona Quindidi Association in Sicily was established to keep the memories alive of victims of mafia violence. Several dioceses vials of oil produced from a grove planted at the site of an infamous 1992 mafia massacre are used to bless during Christmas Masses.
The attack had taken place in the Sicilian town of Capaci on May 23, 1992, where an explosion killed Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife, Francesca Morvillo, along with three police escorts: Antonio Montinaro, Rocco Dicillo, and Vito Schifani.
Just two months later, a second Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate, Paolo Borsellino, was killed by the mafia in Palermo in addition to several escorting agents.
As part of the association's mission, they planted an olive grove at the site of the 1992 explosion in Capaci. Each olive tree in the grove is named for a victim of mafia violence.
In Italian culture, the Church is at the forefront of fighting against organized crime, and several priests have been killed for their advocacy against the mafia.
The Catholic Church in Italy has occasionally been blamed for staying idle and even accepting the mob at times, however, in recent decades, it has taken a strong anti-mafia stance.
Southern Italy's continued advocacy against the mafia holds quite strong as the regional bishops' conference of Campania announced the establishment of a special diocesan commission to support and guide priests involved in anti-mafia efforts last year.
The sacred oil from the Quarto Savona Quindici Association to the Church represents the powerful point of authority the Church has become for Italy's anti-mafia movement.
