Palermo, the boss Tommaso Lo Presti celebrates his silver wedding in the church where the remains of judge Giovanni Falcone are located

They renewed their wedding vows – 25 years after their wedding day – in a symbolic place in Palermo, the church of San Domenico, the pantheon of illustrious Sicilians: thus the boss of Porta Nuova Tommaso Lo Presti, known as “the big one” , and his wife Teresa Marino (also convicted of mafia charges) have […]

They renewed their wedding vows – 25 years after their wedding day – in a symbolic place of Palermothe church of San Domenicothe pantheon of illustrious Sicilians: thus the boss of Porta Nuova Tommaso Lo Prestiknown as “the big one”, and his wife Teresa Marino (also convicted for mafia) have consecrated theirs silver wedding on April 15th in the same place where the tomb monumental which has welcomed, since 2015, the bare of the judge Giovanni Falcone. “A’offense towards both my brother and the entire city of Palermo,” he commented Maria Falconesister of the magistrate killed by the mafia.

The complex in which the church is located – where there are the tombs of many illustrious inhabitants of the island, from Giuseppe Pitrè to Giacomo Serpotta – is located in one of the most beautiful squares in Palermo, in the heart of the mafia district of which Lo Presti was at the top and where, obviously, they do not go unnoticed. For the occasion he – released from prison at the end of 2023 after years of detention for mafia and extortion – he appeared in a dark suit, with waistcoat, pocket square and mother-of-pearl tie, she in a low-cut white dress made of lace fabric and a bouquet of red roses. Lo Presti and his wife were welcomed by Dominican Fatherswho manage the complex, to celebrate the blessing of the silver wedding. Father Sergio Catalanofriar prior of the church, commented that he only found out who the elegant couple was by reading the news on the information site Palermotoday. “If we had known in time what reality they represented, we would never have followed up on their request”, added Catalano who, speaking of “subterfuge” of the mafiosi to “be able to access the sacraments” underlines that “the money received as an offering, which amounts to 400 euroswill be made available, as is the case with all the other offers we receive, for social purposes”.

“San Domenico – Giovanni Falcone’s sister emphasizes bitterly – is twice sacred, for the church and for the community because the most illustrious people of Palermo rest here and are an example for everyone. Mafiosi are murderers and ruthless criminals and if the bosses try toarrogance and the bad taste of gain credibility in the eyes of the community we will respond clearly with culture and commitment”. “The religious of San Domenico – concludes Maria Falcone, in a note released by the Falcone Foundation – did not realize the mistake they were about to make. However, I always believe in good faith of the Dominicans, very cultured and attentive to the value of memory. This very ugly page will close on May 23rd with a very crowded, beautiful and heartfelt religious function in San Domenico to remember the victims of the Capac massacreie ideally all the victims of the mafia”.

After the ceremony in San Domenico the couple celebrated, within the time limits allowed because he is under special surveillance, in a villa complete with musical entertainment by two well-known neo-melodic singers. Lo Presti “the big one” (to distinguish him from the homonymous one called “the long one”) is 48 years old. After his training in Operation Iago in 2014, investigators discovered the role of the wife which the judge who sentenced her describes as follows: “Teresa Marino during the period of her house arrest (in conjunction with her husband’s prison time), received at her home all the prominent exponents of the district mafioso of Porta Nuova and gave them her own and her husband’s instructions and directives, sharing theirs criminal strategies. Furthermore, the mafia associates of the organization also turned to the woman to resolve issues and tensions within the association”. On April 15th the couple thus decided to celebrate their silver wedding in the most sensational way possible: a few meters from the remains of judge Falcone.