Mafia of Foggia, the "criminal baptism" of children and human blood drunk as a sign of silence. The rites inherited from the Camorra and Ndrangheta
By Francesco Pesante June 26, 2022 OPENING
Even before Villani, the repentant Caiafa spoke of the modalities of affiliation to the "Society". The godfather invoked the old founders Count Ugolino, Fiorentin of Russia and Cavalier of Spain

Affiliate rites also in Foggia? The revelations of the recent repentant of the Foggia mafia , Patrizio Villani do not seem to be a novelty in the judicial world. As early as 1995, another justice collaborator revealed disturbing details on the links of organized crime in the Daunian capital with the 'Ndrangheta and the Camorra. The clans of Foggia and its province, in fact, have always been influenced by the Calabrian and Campania organizations, still allied and in business with the Foggia batteries. The Sinesi-Francavilla closest to the 'Ndrangheta, the historic affiliation of Roberto Sinesi to Franco Coco Trova from Catanzaro , while the Moretti-Pellegrino-Lanza batteryand the Sanseveresi criminal groups have points in common with the Camorra. Even the mountaineers Li Bergolis-Miucci-Lombardone , allies of Sinesi, would wink at the Calabrians and do business with them. This is demonstrated by the anti-mafia operation "Friends" of 2019 .

Children swear allegiance to the mafia
An old article in La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno reported the reconstruction of Donato Caiafa known as "Giacchetta" , a penitent from Sansevero who in 1995, in the Court of Appeal in Bari, during a trial of the clans, unveiled the rite of affiliation reserved for the children of criminals . “In Puglia there is a double baptism”. According to the journalistic study of the time, the ritual involving the little ones comes from Calabria. The families of the 'Ndrangheta, like all Catholic families in Italy, baptize their newborn children. At the age of 6-7, unbeknownst to the mothers, these children undergo a second baptism, the criminal one. The rite is equally austere, fomented by the fathers, by the already grown brothers, by the uncles. Children recite the formula by which they swear eternal loyalty to the organization. According to Caiafa, the "double baptism" was already practiced in Foggia and San Severo.

Baptismal formulas

When the commission meets for the entry of new followers, it creates a series of baptismal formulas , first of the room where the ceremony is held (the cells are baptized in prison), then of what is called "the armor ”(A needle or a razor blade) which will serve in the“ function ”. The "copied" therefore reunites. The Godfather exclaims: "Good morning, good morning, with one hand I light the lantern and with the other I light up and I say: good morning, good morning to you, wise comrades, are we compliant?". Those present declare themselves "Very Compliant". And the godfather resumes declaring to “Reunite companies as our three old founders of the Camorra, Conte Ugolino, Fiorentin of Russia and Cavalier of Spain reunited.If they reunited it with mind, speech and seriousness, I reunite it with honor, esteem and fidelity ".

"Mouth of silence"

In the rite of loyalty, the adept must recite the so-called formulas of the "tirata", the "oath" or the "veil". Taking the so-called "armor", previously baptized, the adept wounds on the right forearm (but the rule would like under the right armpit) the member of the commission who is about to introduce him into the organization. After drinking some blood that gushes from the wound, holding the "armor" in his hand, he recites the formulas. One of these tells of a duel that culminates in an injury.

“What have you done with that blood?” Asks the commission. "I drank it," is answered. “ So are you a human blood drinker? ". “Halt, wise comrade, as you well know I am not a drinker of human blood, but from a vein of silence it went out and into a mouth of silence it entered. I have done nothing but unite two souls in one body ". (Top, center, Caiafa and the ranks of the mafia; below, Vincenzo Pellegrino, Rocco Moretti, Raffaele Cutolo and Vito Bruno Lanza)