From: 60 Minutes, 1/6/08
John Martorano: The Executioner
Steve Kroft Interviews Triggerman Of Boston’s Notorious Winter Hill Gang
(CBS) There are few men alive today with the underworld credentials of John Martorano, and even fewer who are out of prison and walking the streets. For more than a decade, Martorano was the chief executioner for Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, a loose confederation of Irish and Italian-American gangsters run by James “Whitey” Bulger. …
“You seem cold,” Kroft says. “You killed 20 people and that’s all you have to say about it?” …
“You still a Catholic?” Kroft asks.
“Sure,” Martorano says.
“I mean, you can burn in hell for killing one person,” Kroft points out.
“I don’t believe that,” Martorano says. “At one point, maybe a couple years ago, I sent for a priest and gave him a confession. It was maybe 30 years since my last confession. But I went through the whole scenario with him, and went through my whole life with him, and confessed. And at the end of it, he says, ‘Well, what do you think I should give you for penance?’ I says, ‘Father, you can justifiably crucify me.’ He laughed and says, ‘Nope. Ten Hail Marys, ten Our Fathers, and don’t do it again.’ So I listened to him.”
Manny
The title is misleading. The penance doesn’t absolve the sinner. It’s the sincere confession and God’s grace and mercy that absolve someone. This betrays a very deep confusion — or ignorance — about the sacrament of reconciliation.
It is irresponsible to criticize a doctrine one doesn’t understand or know anything about. In fact, to do so is to be prejudiced.
quickbeamoffangorn
I agree. In fact remorse is key to repentance and it doesn’t seem like the individual has even started to work through that aspect.
tobefree
Thank you, Manny and quickbeam for your comments.
I think the subject of who goes to heaven is the number one issue of our time. The devil is real, and he’s pulled out all the stops to deceive as many people as possible into thinking they are going to heaven when many are not.
We must figure out what is going on here. Eternity is forever. Life here is but a vapor in comparison. This is serious!!!
Few are standing up for the truth, partly because the pressure to conform to the conventional Catholic and evangelical teachings is enormous!
Having studied this issue for quite some time, I just wrote and posted what I believe is what the Bible really teaches about who goes to heaven: http://onecanhappen.com/2008/01/14/who-goes-to-heaven-scriptures
I invite you to take a look, and I’d love to hear your response.
Manny, because of your comment, I did add a question mark to the title. The priest did also say: “don’t do it again.” But I think that if you choose to read my post on who goes to heaven you may see that what he said isn’t even close to what should be said.
The deception is great. And ONE can happen when we get it right.
God bless!!!
Jeff : )
ladyatlaw
i believe that God is the only judge of mankind and if this man has asked for forgiveness and tries to live better then who are we to judge. I knew Johhny from the time i was 15 yrs old and someone tried to pimp me in Boston. He and my aunt were friends and once he found out..need i say more? Now he did not kill the pimp but the pimp left me alone..So there is a reason for all things