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. After a few days, Father Carmelo met with Cannata's wife and relatives, asking for more money in order to have the mysterious crime group spare their lives. The relatives, not understanding the role of the Friars in the murder, politely declined and told Father Carmelo that they had faith in Divine Providence. Angered, the friar left the house allegedly crying "che Provvidenza e Provvidenza! Ci avimu a pinzari nuantri, no Diu! ("What Providence and Providence, [to solve this problem] we can only rely on ourselves, not God!"). The Cannata family paid the required ransom. Arrest On May 5, 1959, a further extortion went awry when the victim refused to pay and was gunned down by the Friars. The victim, city guard Giovanni Stuppia, got severe wounds to his legs and passed out, but managed to wake up and go to the Mazzarino Carabinieri station. He told them about the extortion, the names of the four friars intended to receive the money and identified the four killers: Carmelo Lo Bartolo, Girolamo Azzolina, Giuseppe Salemi and Filippo Nicoletti. Two friars and three laypeople were arrested the same evening, while Lo Bartolo succeeded in escaping capture. Father Agrippino and Father Venanzio turned themselves in one month later. Lo Bartolo was later found in Ventimiglia, trying to buy a house with 20 million lire, allegedly acquired from the extortion. The Caltanissetta public prosecutor began an extensive investigation that ultimately led to the indictment of the four friars, along with four laypeople, on February 16, 1960. Among them was Carmelo Lo Bartolo, the market gardener of the friary, who was deemed to be the head of the killer commando. Controversy The trial was a very divisive issue in Italian society in the late '50s and early '60s. Although the public prosecutor quickly managed to gather much unquestionable evidence and accounts about the role of the friars, clerical supporters (mostly linked to the Democrazia Cristiana Church and other Catholic institutions), led by the Palermo Archbishop Ernesto Ruffini, promptly stated that the friars were innocent victims of a trap by anti-Catholic forces. The Catholic newspaper Avvenire was the main mean of propaganda for those stating the innocence of the friars. Lo Bartolo was deemed by the Catholic press to be a