His comments came during a visit to Casal di Principe, a town in the province of Caserta where Campania's Camorra mob has a strong presence.
"The fight against the mafias regards each and every one of us," the head of State said.
"You cannot remain indifferent. You cannot say it doesn't concern me.
"You either clearly reject mafia methods or, perhaps unconsciously, you risk becoming complicit in them.
"It is possible to beat the mafia. As (slain anti-mafia prosecutor) Giovanni Falcone said: 'the mafia is not at all invincible.
"It is a human thing, and like all human things, it has a beginning and it will have an ending too'."
ANSA
