Italian anti - mob movement says Pope faces threat from the mafia . Pope Paul says Francis represents serious threat to his criminal interests . Mafias originated in 1860 but Pope did n't explicitly mention the mafia until 1993 . Dickie says killing the Pope would be a ` ` catastrophic own goal '' for the mafias .
Italian anti-mob prosecutor says Pope faces threat from the mafia . John Dickie says Francis represents serious threat to established criminal interests . Mafias originated in 1860 but Pope did n't explicitly denounce the mafia until 1993 . Dickie says killing the Pope would be a `` catastrophic own goal '' for the mafias .