Pope excommunicates Italian Mafia members

This is one of those “well, *duh*” things, but from both directions. Mafioso and others who live on murder and crime and such would seem to be obvious subjects of excommunication. At the same time, these sort of people don’t really seem all that tolerant of people who tell them things they don’t want to hear and can get a touch violent about such things.

Am I correct in recalling a *threat* by either a Pope or a Bishop or some such to excommunicate politicians who vote to keep abortion legal?  Now *that* would be entertaining. Would’ve been entertaining to see U-Boat Commander Teddy Kennedy excommunicated while he was still in office.