Pope Francis has praised the life and testimony of Italian Father Pino Puglisi 30 years after he was gunned down by Mafia hitmen.

In a letter dated July 31 and addressed to Archbishop Corrado Lorefice of Palermo, the heart of Italian mob territory, Francis called Puglisi a “good priest and merciful witness of the Father”.

The Pontiff thanked God for “the gift of the Blessed Martyr Don Pino Puglisi, son and pastor of the beloved Palermitan Church and the whole of Sicily.”

Puglisi, he said, served the Church with sacrifice and never grew tired of meeting and drawing close to people, offering them “the regenerating water of the Gospel” to help them go forward amid “the harshness of a life which has not always been forgiving.”