Godfather-Style Funeral Causes Outrage In Rome

A Hollywood-style funeral for a purported local crime boss, complete with The Godfather theme music, has caused controversy in Rome.Hundreds gathered to pay their final respects to Vittorio Casamonica at San Giovanni Bosco church on the outskirts of the Italian capital.
The 65-year-old, who has been identified by police as a leader of the Casamonica clan - active in the southwest of Rome - was taken to the church in a gilded, horse-drawn carriage.

Tearful mourners tossed bouquets of flowers as the casket was carried into the church.
Flower petals were then thrown from a helicopter while The Godfather music played.
A banner attached to the front of the church read: "You conquered Rome, now you'll conquer paradise."
"King of Rome" said another, which featured an image of Casamonica, the Colosseum and St Peter's Basilica.
While Casamonica has been named as a leader of a clan active in Rome, police have said he was "on the margins" of organised crime and had not emerged as a suspect in recent probes.
Ignazio Marino, the city's mayor, called Rome's prefect demanding to know how the event was given the go-ahead and tweeted it was "intolerable that funerals are used by the living to send mafia messages".
Reverend Giancarlo Manieri, the parish priest, said he could not control what happened outside his church, and that inside the ceremony proceeded as normal, according to the ANSA news agency.
Politicians also expressed anger over the funeral, which took place just a day after a judge set 5 November as the start date for the trial of some 59 people charged in a mafia investigation.
It is alleged local criminal bosses cemented ties with city politicians over lucrative public contracts.
Rosy Bindi, president of the parliamentary anti-mafia commission, said it was "alarming" that a funeral for someone like Casamonica could be "transformed into an ostentatious show of mafia power."
Ms Bindi said it showed that the mafia had infiltrated the city and called for efforts to rid it from Rome's politics to be redoubled.
A prosecutor noted for fighting Sicily's Cosa Nostra has been enlisted to help battle City Hall corruption.
Dozens of city politicians and businessmen with links to the right and the left have been arrested since late last year.
It emerged on Friday that the helicopter pilot who flew low over the city to drop the flower petals has had their licence suspended by Italy's civil aviation authority.
ENAC said the action was taken as a precaution because single-engine helicopters are banned from flying over Rome.
The authority added in a statement that the aircraft flew below the 1,000ft (330 metre) limit and violated regulations by throwing objects out of its hold without authorisation.