Silence on the death of Nitto Santapaola, Riccardo Pellegrino: 'Enough ambiguity, concrete actions are needed'

The death of Nitto Santapaola, the historic head of Cosa Nostra in Catania who died under the 41 bis regime, has passed in Catania almost in general silence from the political sphere. As highlighted by "La Sicilia" in recent days, public statements regarding the boss's death are very few. And today, breaking the silence is the vice president of the City Council Riccardo Pellegrino, who, in a lengthy speech, states: "We are talking about one of the bloodiest protagonists in the criminal history of our city, sentenced to life imprisonment for the massacre on the ring road, for the murder of Chief Inspector Giovanni Lizzio, for the assassination of journalist Giuseppe Fava, and for the mafia massacres that have bloodied Italy. In the face of such a prominent figure, the silence of Catania's politics is frankly incomprehensible." Pellegrino addresses Mayor Enrico Trantino and the city administration directly. "Catania needs clear words and concrete actions. Not for rhetoric, but to unequivocally affirm where the institutions stand."

Pellegrino does not hide but rather emphasizes his being the brother of Gaetano known as 'u funciutu', convicted for mafia association, to underline the distance. "For years - he continues - I have fought against the stigma of having a brother who is paying for his crimes: I cannot erase the blood bond, we are children of the same father and mother, but I have distanced myself from him and his actions from the very beginning. And as a man of institutions, I can only be against any form of connection, action, behavior, or even just mafia-related. I have always asserted this strongly in words and actions, despite the insinuations and jabs from some."

"I sincerely hope that once he has served his sentence, my brother can change his life and enjoy his family honestly, but I have nothing to do with what he has committed, and I have been fighting for years so that all the good citizens who bear the burden of being born in a neighborhood with a heavy history can be free from this same stigma."

Pellegrino is indeed worried about some statements made to the microphones of La Sicilia by don Benedetto Sapienza - the parish priest of the church of Madonna della Salette, in the San Cristoforo neighborhood - who stated that Santapaola is still remembered in the streets of the neighborhood because "he made its history." "These are words that cannot be spoken lightly. The judgment on souls belongs to God, but the history of men is written in the sentences: Nitto Santapaola died under the 41 bis regime after definitive convictions for massacres and murders." For Pellegrino, the central point remains the dignity of the neighborhood. "San Cristoforo does not belong to the bosses but to the decent people who live there. Thousands of honest families who fight every day against stigma and against a narrative that risks pinning the neighborhood to its criminal past." 

For this reason, the city councilor is asking for immediate signals from the administration. "Today my concern is not only the criminal mafia but also that sick political system made up of compromises, favors, and jobs distributed in exchange for consent, which for years has fostered a climate of dependence and resignation. My vision of politics is the exact opposite: we need administrators capable of creating true development, supporting those who want to do business, and providing concrete opportunities for our young people, because those who truly know the territory know that most people, if placed in the right conditions, choose work and dignity, not certainly the street or the trade of death."

"For years we have been asking that piazza Don Innocenzo Bonomo be returned to the city. There is also a resolution from the Junta, number 234 of 2024, which formally establishes the pedestrian area. But despite my battles, those of the resolution remain just words in the wind. Piazza Bonomo cannot be a simple parking lot. If the road cannot be closed to traffic, at least have the courage to transform it into a real square, a space for community and redemption." The message is clear. "That square – I reiterate forcefully – is our home, not Cosa Nostra's."

Finally, Pellegrino returns to a request made several times. «We are still waiting for the naming of via Belfiore after Blessed Rosario Livatino. It would be a strong signal for a neighborhood that needs symbols of legality and justice». «Catania – he concludes – cannot afford ambiguity. Institutions have a duty to demonstrate with actions and words that this city does not belong to the mafia». The image of Livatino, blessed since 2021, is present in a large mural right inside the San Giovanni Bosco oratory on via della Salette: next to it is the effigy of the city's patron saint, Saint Agatha.