On March 21, the Day of Remembrance for the Innocent Victims of the Mafias, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella visited Casal di Principe, a place sadly known for the Camorra's assassination of the anti-Mafia priest Giuseppe “Peppe” Diana.
“I went to the cemetery to Don Peppino Diana's grave,” said the President, “where I met his family. Don Peppino was a courageous man, an exemplary shepherd, a son of his land, a hero of our time, who paid the highest price, his own life, for denouncing the cancer of the Camorra and calling consciences to rebel. He used words ‘filled with love.’ Clear, firm, courageous words.”
Don Giuseppe was born on July 4, 1958, in Casal di Principe. After completing theological studies and earning a degree in philosophy, he joined AGESCI (Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts) and was ordained a priest. In 1989, he was appointed parish priest of the Church of San Nicola di Bari in Casal di Principe and became a Catholic religion teacher in state schools. He immediately began his fight against organized crime in his city, at a time when the Casalesi clan held sway throughout Campania.
On Christmas Day 1991, the letter entitled For the love of my people was distributed in the churches of the diocese. It was a manifesto against the Camorra, defined as a form of terrorism that uses fear to impose its unacceptable laws and creates a climate of unprecedented violence. Don Peppe was a free man and was afraid of no one: he loved young people, in whom he saw hope for his territory, wounded by violence; he helped the first immigrants so they would not fall into the clutches of organized crime; he welcomed people with disabilities into the parish…
But the Camorra does not forgive: on the morning of March 19, 1994, a murderer found him as he was preparing to say Mass in the sacristy of his church and shot him four times. A veritable execution.
The seeds Don Peppe planted in the hard soil have borne fruit: associations, committees, and church groups have been established in his memory to fight for legality.
And on Sunday, March 19, Don Peppe's dream finally became reality: hundreds of AGESCI scouts filled the city, as they do every year on the anniversary of his death, to celebrate the founding of the first scout group in Casal di Principe.
Over the years, his dream has been tenaciously pursued by his young followers. Among the new scouts is Iole, Don Peppe's niece and the daughter of his brother Emilio.
We are sure that Don Peppe is blessing her from heaven, just as his martyrdom continues to sow seeds of love and hope.
Blessed Rosario Livatino, a young Sicilian judge, also paid with his life in 1990 for his fight against organized crime.
