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It seems the papacy of Pope Francis is light enough to attract a following from both its Christian faithful and the rest of the world - believers of Christ or not - but serious enough to roll-out reforms unpopular as they maybe.

Breaking itself from tradition in time for the Holy Week, the Catholic hierarchy, more specifically the Italian bishops have sent orders to stop the practice of saluting the homes of known mafia bosses during holy processions.

The cleansing came on the heels of Pope Francis' recent visit to Calabria - home to some of the most powerful mafia families in Italy - whrein the Bishop of Rome launched a powerful tirade aginst organized crime, condemning them in the process.

Caught in Shameful Acts

This practice has brought untold embarrassment to the Catholic Church, according to The Telegraph.

In essence it involves processions in the past where the faithful carrying statues of saints or the Madonna for instance purposely would pay homage to well-known mafia bosses by stopping in front of their houses - or apartments as the case maybe - dipping the holy object(s) in respect.

In July, for instance, a Madonna delle Grazie procession -carrying the statue of the Madonna - in the town of Oppido Mamertina in Calabria, Southern Italy had to be rerouted to pass beneath a flat where Giuseppe "Peppe" Mazzagatti lives.

But Mazzagatti, 82 is a convicted mob boss in house arrest and serving a life sentence - dodging the confines of prison due to old age.

The detour itself is given to "salute" the Mafiosi and was seen as a defiant act against Pope Francis.

Guiding the Path of the Righteous

The practice came to a head a month after Pope Francis visit to Calabria - known as the home of the rich and powerful 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Calling a spade a spade, the reformer pope not only lashed out at organized crime but went a step further by announcing that all Mafiosi were excommunicated from the Church subsequently condemning them to the eternal fire.

In response, bishops have rolled out reforms admonishing the local church to be on guard.

First stop is to make sure that processions are not being infiltrated by mafia henchmen who could be redirecting the traffic without prior church approval.

Bishop Francesco Milito, presiding bishop over the diocese including the infamous Oppido Mamertina town, gave specific guidelines in choosing people to carry the Madonna saying that they "should be chosen, under the direct responsibility of the parish, from among the faithful who regularly go to Sunday Mass and who are of proven Christian faith".

Further, the bishop added that the route should be carefully examined by Church authorities.

Bishop Luigi Renzo, another bishop of the diocese of Mileto-Tropea-Nicotera which is also in Calabria, emphasized the need for "concrete signs of a break with certain improper events of the past".

Anyone "who is on trial for mafia association or who has a conviction, unless they have publicly repented and expressed regret" should be banned.

Processions with "Sacred images" may stop only at hospices or homes for the aged so as to give them blessing but are not allowed to go anywhere else.

This, however, is not the first time the local Catholic Church in Southern Italy has been accused of being ambivalent, turning a blind eye towards organized crime.

For their part, anti-mafia police are launching an investigation into the questionable Oppido Mamertina procession last summer - an act condemned by Interior Minister Angelino Alfano as "deplorable and disguting.