Pope Leo XIV will travel this May 8 to Pompeii to commemorate the first year of his pontificate at the shrine founded by St. Bartolo Longo, in a day marked by Marian devotion and prayer for peace.
Pompeii, setting for the pontifical anniversary
The shrine of Pompeii, whose facade has borne the inscription “Pax” since 1901, will be the place where the Pontiff will celebrate the Eucharist and recite the traditional Supplica to the Virgin of the Rosary.
The visit coincides with the shrine’s own feast day and with the anniversary of Leo XIV’s election.
The archbishop prelate of Pompeii, Tommaso Caputo, has highlighted the symbolic value of this coincidence, underscoring the centrality of the message of peace in the pontificate.
A pastoral-focused agenda
After his arrival by helicopter, the Pope will meet with people in vulnerable situations welcomed in the centers linked to the shrine and subsequently venerate the relics of St. Bartolo Longo before presiding over the solemn Mass and the recitation of the Supplica in the square dedicated to the founder.
Marian dimension of the pontificate
As Caputo explained to the media outlet Avvenire, the visit to Pompeii reflects the Pope’s Marian character.
Not in vain, the day of his election coincided with the feast of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, while in the shrine the Rosary was being prayed at the moment of the white smoke.
The prelate interprets this fact as part of a “providential design” and emphasizes that the spirituality of the shrine - centered on the Rosary - continues to attract numerous faithful even in a context of secularization.
The figure of St. Bartolo Longo
The visit also includes a homage to St. Bartolo Longo, founder of the shrine, recently canonized by Leo XIV.
Former lawyer who strayed from the faith and fell into spiritualism before his conversion, Longo became an tireless apostle of the Rosary and promoter of numerous charitable works.
His story, marked by error and redemption, is presented as a testimony that holiness is open to all.
“There is no tomb that cannot be opened by love,” summarizes Archbishop Caputo when recalling the educational work promoted by the saint with orphans and children of prisoners.
Peace and unity in the first year of the pontificate
One year after his election, Caputo highlights two central ideas of Leo XIV’s pontificate: peace and unity.
From the beginning, the Pope has insisted on a peace that comes from God and that demands humility and perseverance, while also promoting the prayer of the Rosary as a spiritual instrument to achieve it.
Along with this, the Pope has emphasized the need for a united Church, recalling his Augustinian motto “In Illo uno unum” - in Christ we are one - as the foundation of a communion capable of offering the world a coherent witness.
The visit to Pompeii is thus framed in a day of liturgical and pastoral character, with special attention to prayer, Marian devotion, and the social dimension of the Church’s mission.