POMPEII, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Friday presented his papal certificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.
During a day trip to Pompeii and Naples, Leo celebrated mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, whose feast day is May 8.
“Exactly one year ago,” the Pope said in his homily to the applause of the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of Successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely this day of prayer to the Virgin, this beautiful day of prayer to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii! That is why I had to come here to offer my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”
“By then choosing the name Leo I follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich Magisterium on the Holy Rosary, including the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, the Apostle of the Rosary,” Leo said.
Before the Mass, the Pope – who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompeii by helicopter on the morning of May 8 – visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii. Despite the forecast of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square with the first rays of dawn.
At the pilgrimage site, the Holy Father met with the “Temple of Charity”, an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from difficult situations.
Pope Leo XIV, during a pastoral visit to Pompeii, Italy, on May 8, 2026, visits the “Temple of Charity”, an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of difficulty. Credit: Vatican Media
“Good morning, Pompeii! Our Lady – our Mother – is always with us,” the Pope said as he informally greeted the faithful waiting for Mass. Before the eucharistic celebration, Leo also welcomed the sick and disabled inside the temple.
The Pope’s sermon at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.
“The Hail Mary repeated in the Holy Rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and preserved by this prayer – simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and treasures of the most essential Christian theology.”
He also called the Hail Mary prayer an “invitation to joy.”
“It tells Mary and all of us that on the ruins of our humanity, afflicted by sin and therefore always prone to abuse, oppression and war, has come the caress of God – the caress of mercy, who takes on a human face in Jesus. Mary thus becomes the Mother of Mercy.”
Leo XIV added, “When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary (2002–2003), he wished to place it in a special way under the care of the Virgin of Pompeii.” “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in many areas of the world require new commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”
He said, “Peace is born within the heart.” “We cannot reconcile ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting Mary’s faith, called her ‘Almighty by grace.’ Through her intercession, abundant mercy can come from the God of peace – touching hearts, calming resentments and fraternal hatreds, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power can Will save, but only the divine power of love will save.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, Pope Leo joined the faithful in praying the traditional prayer to Our Lady of Pompeii.
The Prayer to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii was written by St. Bartolo Longo in 1883. It is recited twice a year, on 8 May at noon and on the first Sunday in October. The prayer was written in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supreme Apostolatus OficioA call for spiritual commitment to confront the ills of society.
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Naples, Italy, on Friday, May 8, 2026. Credit: Vatican Media
trip to naples
After a private lunch, Pope Leo took a helicopter to Naples, the capital of Italy’s Campania region, about 16 miles to the northwest, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters at Naples Cathedral.
During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped at the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had occurred on 3 May. The Pope kissed the relic and blessed those present in the packed cathedral with it.
After some time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Pope addressed the Catholic community: “So what I want from you is this: listen to each other, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and thus find ways to move from a pastoral maintenance ministry to a missionary pastoral ministry, able to connect to the concrete life of people.”
He said, “In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that includes everyone – priests, religious and lay people.”
Pope Leo XIV then drove in the Popemobile to Naples’ main square, the Piazza del Plebiscito, where officials estimated about 50,000 people were present.
The Pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, moves through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and peripheries, and extends to cover entire cities and the world.” A peace that requires justice “to be authentic” and which “can never be separated from charity.”
Leo also talked about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the remarkable growth in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “an economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community”. He described a city marked by “a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts, but is also evident within every area, whose existential periphery also lies at the heart of the historical center.” Faced with these inequalities, Pope Leo XIV described the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever to provide security and confidence to citizens and to keep them away from organized crime”.
He then encouraged the projects of hope taking shape in the city to move forward: “Gather your strength, work together, move in unison – institutions, churches and civil society – to connect the city, rescue its children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples her vocation to become a capital of humanity and hope.”
This story was first published multiple parts By ACI Stampa, EWTN News’ Italian language partner service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
