In a ceremonial move that surprised parishioners and the general public alike, Pope Francis has excommunicated the mafia.

The excommunication was announced on Saturday, during mass in the southern Italian city of Calabria. Calabria's history is deeply embedded within the mafia, and over the years, it has become known as mafia territory.

Organized crime has made its mark on Calabria, and the violent acts against rivals are an unfortunate reality for most who reside there. A 3-year-old boy was recently killed in Calabria, as he got caught in the crossfire between two rival factions fighting over territory.

It was that incident which sparked Pope Francis into action. The mob now joins the infamous list of patrons who have been ex-communicated by the church. Other more famous parties that have been ousted include Napoleon, Joan of Arc and Martin Luther.

Excommunication is a largely ceremonial act, as the Church cannot physically stop an excommunicated member from attending a parish. What remains to be seen, however, is if Priests will allow known mob members to partake in Holy Communion.

Excommunication represents the detachment from God that individuals brought upon themselves. According to Catholic church theology, the Pope does not excommunicate people; the people excommunicate themselves.     

During Mass in Calabria, Pope Francis told the crowd of 250,000, "When adoration of the Lord is substituted by adoration of money, the road to sin opens to personal interest...Your land, which so beautiful, knows the signs of the consequences of this sin. The 'Ndrangheta is this: adoration of evil and contempt of the common good. This evil must be fought, must be expelled. It must be told no."

The 'Ndrangheta is a global drug trafficking syndicate which reportedly takes in over $72 billion dollars a year off of the cocaine and methamphetamine trade. Calabria has a 50 percent unemployment rate so many of the youth are recruited to join the organization.

Excommunicating an entire group of people is nothing new. Catholic Freemasons were also excommunicated in the 16^th century. The symbolism of this act is that entire groups can be deemed as being ungodly or otherwise morally corrupt. One can only wonder why the mafia wasn't excommunicated before. After all, Italy is the country of their origin, and their crime syndicates have been going on for hundreds of years. 

It is not yet known how the mafiosos will take the newfound excommunication from the church, but it has been speculated for years that mob money has been tied into the Vatican in the form of tithes.

Pope Francis has made it clear to the world that money will have no swaying effect on the Catholic Church.