In the wake of a highly publicized, gruesome set of murders, Italian police are reportedly considering the formation of a special squad to investigate "Satanic gangs," which may or may not be an actual problem in Italy. The specialized unit will include psychologists and that most specialized of Satanic experts, a Catholic priest. Jokes aside, I find the idea especially disturbing, given that despite the enourmous publicity garnered by the "Beasts of Satan" case, Satanic crime remains almost nonexistent, and even when it does occur, it can usually be attributed to sociopathic groups rather than to any widespread religious practice. I'd even go so far as to say the Italian national preoccupation with Satanism may be encouraging nascent 'Satanic' groups.

There's another, darker, side to all of this. Like the Satanic Panic in 1980s America, Italy's current fascination with Satanic conspiracies seems to be headed down the same path of blundered investigations, false accusations, and unjust imprisonment. Take, for example, the case of the reporting team who set out to write a book about an infamous, unsolved serial murder case, and found Italian law enforcement so caught up in theories of widespread Satanic conspiracy that the authors found themselves the focus of the investigation just for their interest in the case. In the minds of the prosecution, you see, the reporters' interest was protecting the conspiracy, not uncovering the truth- and the writers found themselves bugged, searched, arrested, interrogated, and harassed for their troubles.