Mazzarino Friars

The Mazzarino Friars were a group of Capuchin friars that turned to crime. They were active around the town of Mazzarino, Italy, in the 1950s. Their trial was a much-debated issue in the early '60s in Italy, in the context of the historical struggle between clerical and anti-clerical political forces prominent at that time.

The whole story was pieced together in 1989 by journalist Giorgio Frasca Polara in his book La Terribile Istoria dei Frati di Mazzarino (The Terrible History of the Mazzarino Friars), published by Sellerio.

In April 1956 the provincial Father of the order came to Mazzarino for a visit, after hearing rumors about an extortion business managed by four friars. These four Capuchin friars were Venanzio, Carmelo, Agrippino and Vittorio. (Agrippino had earlier apparently been coerced into joining the gang, after shotgun fire nearly hit him. He was told that they "would aim better next time", by monastery gardener Carmelo Lo Bartolo.) After arriving to the friary, the superior spoke with two suspects, who told him that his life was in great danger and that he could save himself only by dropping the inquiry and paying 600.000 lire to someone they knew. The scared superior paid the large sum, but was later blackmailed again by the Friars, acting like humble and frightened emissaries of a powerful crime covenant.

After their success with the provincial prior, Father Enrico, the gang tirned its attention to more wealthy villagers. The Friars demanded money from the local pharmacist, Ernesto Colajanni. He refused firmly, and a few days later the oak door of his house was set on fire. Colajanni spoke to the friary prior, Father Venanzio, noting that he had a very profound knowledge of his earnings and wealth. Venanzio agreed to intercede with the blackmailers, and came back to Colajanni two days later with bad news: the criminals were now asking for at least 2 million lire (as a comparison, the sale price of a brand new Fiat 1400 sedan in 1950 was 1.275.000 lire). Colajanni, unable to afford such a sum, asked Father Venanzio to haggle, and ultimately agreed to pay half a million.

One year later, the Friars tried again to get money from a local landowner, Angelo Cannata. After his refusal to pay, they met him one evening while he was returning from work. They stopped his car, which had him, his wife, son and chauffeur inside it, threatened him with a gun, shot his legs and fled. The man died minutes later from blood loss.

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Wikipedia