Pope Denounces Violence in Name Of Religion
NAPLES, Italy — Visiting one of Italy's most crime-ridden cities, Pope Benedict XVI told ayatollahs, rabbis, priests, and patriarchs from around the world yesterday that religion must never be used to justify violence.
Benedict condemned the "deplorable" mob violence that he said permeated life in Naples, home of the notorious Camorra organized crime syndicate — the local version of the Sicilian Mafia.
The pope's visit coincided with a three-day meeting of religious leaders from around the world on the role of religion and culture in creating a violence-free world.
The pope told the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist leaders they must work for peace and reconciliation among peoples.
"In a world wounded by conflicts, where violence is justified in God's name, it's important to repeat that religion can never become a vehicle of hatred, it can never be used in God's name to justify violence," he said. "On the contrary, religions can and must offer precious resources to build a peaceful humanity, because they speak about peace in the heart of man."
While the pope's message was universal, it had particular resonance in Naples, which has long been one of Italy's most violent cities.
Besides petty crime, it has been wracked by Camorra turf battles over drug and arms trafficking, prostitution rackets, and other activities.
Naples for years had the highest murder rate of all major Italian cities, although it slipped to second place after Bari in 2006, registering 3.3 reported homicides a 100,000 inhabitants, Interior Ministry statistics show. Naples's surrounding Campania region has for years also topped the charts for robberies and car thefts.
Last year, there were calls for the army to be sent in after nine people were killed in Naples in two weeks.
During an open-air Mass in Naples's main square, Benedict called for programs in schools and the workplace to change a "mentality" of violence that he said increasingly draws in young people who have few economic opportunities.
