Refugee Center Visited By Pope Was Controlled By Mafia - Priest Arrested

The refugee center of Crotone (Calabria, Southern Italy), one of the biggest in Europe, was controlled by the 'Ndrangheta (Mafia) for the past ten years, Italian media report. During this time 36 Million Euros, a third of the funds received from the EU or Italy, went to the Mafia.

The Mafia collaborated with the Catholic Confraternity of Mercy in the town Isola di Capo Rizzuto and with its spiritual assistant and local parish priest, Fr Edoardo Scordio, who received yearly 132.000 Euros for his services. Now, he is under arrest. The refugee center in Lampedusa, visited by Pope Francis in 2013, is also involved in the scandal.

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