Italian Association Donates Oil from Mafia Attack Site to Italian Dioceses for Holy Thursday

An Italian association dedicated to preserving the memory of victims of mafia violence has handed over oil produced at the site of a tragic event where two judges were killed to various Italian dioceses in preparation for the annual Holy Thursday Chrism Mass.

The Chrism Mass, a significant part of the church’s calendar leading up to Easter, involves blessing oils used in sacraments like Baptism and Confirmation.

Pope Francis is scheduled to conduct his Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by attending a special mass at a women’s detention center in Rome where he will wash the feet of 12 inmates.

The Quarto Savona Quindidi Association in Sicily, formed to commemorate mafia violence victims, distributed vials of oil extracted from an olive grove planted at the location of a notorious 1992 mafia assault to multiple Italian dioceses for their Chrism Masses.

The dreadful attack occurred in Capaci on May 23, 1992, where judge Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo, and three police agents were killed. Another judge, Paolo Borsellino, fell victim to the mafia in Palermo two months later.

Started by Tina Montinaro, widow of one of the police officers slain in the Capaci attack, the Quarto Savona Quindici Association was named after the police car’s radio code during the incident.

The association aimed to preserve the memory of the tragic 1992 Capaci event and turn grief into constructive action.

As part of their efforts, the association planted olive trees at the site, each named after a victim of mafia violence.

Local police commissioners have been delivering the consecrated oil vials for Holy Thursday to appointed bishops in the various selected Italian dioceses.

Over the weekend, Police Commissioner Salvatore Fazzino of Enna brought oil vials to Bishop Rosario Gisana of Piazza Armerina and Bishop Giuseppe Schillaci of Nicosia.

The movement included numerous churches, including those in dioceses where the state police offices are located.

The church in Italy has played a pivotal role in combating organized crime, with several priests martyred for their anti-mafia activism.

Noteworthy are Father Giuseppe Pino Puglisi, slain in 1993, and Father Giuseppe Peppe Diana, assassinated in 1994, both courageously defying the mafia.