A Catania court handed down jail sentences to 39 people after convicting them for diverting a Good Friday religious procession to the house of a mafia family. The 39 people had diverted the parade to force it to pay homage to an imprisoned mafia boss.

In 2016, a group of people were carrying a statue of Jesus Christ through the village of San Michele Di Ganzaria during Easter. The accused individuals are reported to have stopped the procession and forced it to pass in front of the house of the mafia godfather Francesco La Rocca.

La Rocca was serving a life sentence at the time for mafia-related crimes. However, his wife came out of the house to greet the wellwishers and made an offering.

A Sicilian archbishop said that the sentence would deter others from doing anything similar in future.

The group was convicted of disturbing a religious event and incitement to commit crimes. The eight ringleaders received three-year terms, and the others were sentenced to between six months and two years, nine months in jail.