Fallen Idols - Naples, New Blood and the Mafia
Father Luigi Merola led a parish on the outskirts of Naples until the local mafia threatened his life. He then retired from active ministry, but for years he’s been a street priest, running a youth center.
Father Luigi Merola opposes the hero-worship of young criminals, the so-called baby gangsters . In the streets of Naples there are hundreds of murals and makeshift altars that pay tribute to young Mafiosi who have been killed. The Camorra organized crime group celebrates them and declares them heroes.
Politicians are demanding an end to the practice, which encourages impressionable young people to let themselves be recruited by the Camorra. Unemployment is high in southern Italy, and a lot of young people have no prospects. That’s what drives many towards organized crime.