11|05|23 ~ On Sunday, March 22, 2011, a Mass was held at Holy Rosary Church in Washington DC, to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the assassination by the Mafia of Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo, and security agents Rocco Di Cillo, Antonio Montinari, and Vito Schifani.

Among those present were Ambassador Giulio Terzi, members of the Italian community in Washington, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia, Italian judge and Falcone's student, Giannicola Sinisi, senior counselor at the Embassy of Italy, and agents from the FBI with which Falcone worked closely in the fight against Cosa Nostra and its ramifications in the United States.

"Giovanni Falcone – stated Ambassador Terzi – is an Italian hero. His efforts to fight organized crime provide a universal example that we remember and honor today together with the many Americans who knew him personally or indirectly by his successes."

During the ceremony, Charles Rooney, former Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation spoke about the character of Falcone and the ties between the FBI and the Italian magistrate. A monument dedicated to Giovanni Falcone is located at the FBI Academy in Quantico, several kilometers from the US capital.

|CiaoAmerica.net|