SAN LUCA From life in prison for drug offenses to work in the sanctuary of the Madonna della Montagna di Polsi, in Aspromonte, in the municipality of San Luca. It is the story of redemption, told on the pages of Futureof the project wanted by the bishop of Locri-Gerace, Monsignor Francesco Oliva – and carried out by the new rector of the Sanctuary, Don Tonino Saraco – which involves two former prisoners (32 and 48 years old), and which will soon involve others.
The project
For the project, a confiscated land of 25 hectares was taken over but, pending obtaining funding for production, the two former prisoners were hired as seasonal workers by the Sanctuary farm which produces fruit and vegetables for internal use. . The two men – writes theFuture – have become dependent, for now seasonal, of the Sanctuary. They take care of agricultural activities but also of the maintenance of the structure, where thousands of pilgrims arrive every year. Not the only initiative of the diocese in favor of prison. Two other former prisoners work thanks to the diocese. One in the beautiful and very popular Eremo di Monte Stella, in the municipality of Pazzano and one in the Episcopio di Locri, where he takes care of the garden, the vegetable garden and maintenance.
“Polsi is not the Sanctuary of the ‘Ndrangheta”
The Sanctuary – writes the newspaper – “usurped by the ‘Ndrangheta, where they held their leaders, rites, oaths and agreements between clans”, is “more and more a symbol of the redemption of these lands from Mafia power and culture”. “There are three reasons for the initiative – explains Don Tonino -. We want to give a different image of the Sanctuary, contribute to the rebirth of the territory, give a new opportunity, a second chance to those who have had problems, who have made a mistake in his life. The only way to prevent them from doing the wrong things again is to give them a job. ‘ “We did it – Bishop Oliva explained to the newspaper – to favor the social reintegration of the prisoner who, precisely because of the sentence he has to serve, does not always find available land to be accepted and have a job. In this way we favor and help his person and his family in a delicate moment in his life when he would have no other possibility ».
“The Sanctuary of Polsi – continues the bishop – has always carried out a welcoming activity in the past, now we want to give an even more social impact, paying attention to those poverty and fragility that are found in the streets and especially in the people in difficulty. We also want the Sanctuary, which in the past was judged for other reasons, to be today a place of social reintegration, a place that is interested in social problems. We reiterate it, Polsi is not the Sanctuary of the ‘Ndrangheta, it has nothing to do with the’ Ndrangheta, but it is a Sanctuary that has at its center the spirituality and dignity of the person and in this the work is central, especially in our territory. where work is lacking. Creating real work is a concrete commitment to promote legality and justice ».
In San Luca the project involving former prisoners. “Polsi is not the Sanctuary of the ‘Ndrangheta”