Initiation without a father’s presence or knowledge follows the rules

Evidence

Calderone also cites a case that is difficult to interpret: the son and nephew of Michele Greco were initiated although Greco was absent and had not been informed. When he was later told, Greco was apparently overjoyed; in particular he was pleased that everything had been done “according to the rules” (AC: II, 573). We cannot safely deduce from that episode alone, for which Calderone provides no explanation, that fathers are not supposed to participate in the initiation of their sons; we know, for instance, that Mariano Marsala was present when his son Vincenzo was initiated. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 736

Categorization

• QUESTION: The Greco exception — initiated without his informing or knowledge, yet done ‘according to the rules’ — suggests the rule table has more entries than the observed cases show. Worth chasing how a decentralized organization treats procedural validity claims.
• XREF: connects to: Protocol for entering a new place is introducing yourself and asking a tree’s permission — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 738