A Mass in memory of a Canadian
'Ndrangheta mafia boss killed in Quebec in May was cancelled
Tuesday morning in a village near the Puglia city of Bari.The priest at Grumo Appula had wanted a public ceremony in memory of Rocco Sollecito Tuesday afternoon but was slapped down by the local bishop, who first ordered a strictly private ceremony at six o'clock in the morning and then, at the last minute, ordered the doors shut.
The priest, Father Michele Delle Foglie, said he would appeal to Pope Francis "to receive me as a father welcomes a grieving son".
'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian-based mafia, has strong offshoots abroad and especially in Canada and Australia.
It is Italy's richest and strongest mafia, having overtaken Sicily's Cosa Nostra thanks to its dominance of the European cocaine market.