At 8.00 this morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV departed by helicopter from the Vatican heliport to make a pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples.

Upon arrival, at 8.52 in the meeting area of the Sanctuary of Pompeii, the Pope was welcomed by Archbishop Tommaso Caputo, Prelate of Pompeii, Pontifical Delegate for the Sanctuary; the Honourable Roberto Fico, President of the Campania Region; Dr. Michele Di Bari, Prefect of Naples; Dr. Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of the metropolitan city of Naples; and Dr. Andreina Esposito, acting Mayor of Pompeii.

Pope Leo XIV then proceeded on foot to the Luisa Trapani Hall of the meeting area where, at 9.45, he met the “Temple of Charity”, an organization that supports people in difficult circumstances.

After the welcome address from Archbishop Tommaso Caputo and some of the guests of the centres of the Sanctuary of Pompeii, the Pope delivered his address.

At the end of the meeting, after leaving the Luisa Trapani Hall, the Holy Father transferred by car to the Sanctuary of Pompeii.

The following is the Pope’s address to those present during the meeting:

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning, and thank you!

I am very happy to meet all of you, who are in various ways linked to the charitable work of the Sanctuary of Pompeii: people received, religious, educators and volunteers. I particularly greet and thank the bishop for the words he addressed to me, and you who have shared your testimonies.

It is good for me to begin this Pastoral Visit by walking in the footsteps of Saint Bartolo Longo, whom I had the joy of canonizing last 19 October. He called the Valley of Pompeii a “place of love that warms the heart”, a “triumph of faith and charity”: virtues that he defined as “two wings joined in the same flight”. This reality is still very much alive and visible. Here, in the Works of the Shrine, the power of Christ’s Resurrection is experienced every day; through love, it renews hearts to the good life of the Gospel. Here, the “Temple of Charity” and the “Temple of Faith” support one another. Prayer nourishes the welcome, affection, service and generous commitment of so many, in the educational centres, in the family homes, at the soup kitchen for the poor, named after Pope Francis. And love works miracles that go far beyond any effort and expectation: in the bodies of those who suffer and even more so in their souls.

When Saint Bartolo first arrived in Valle di Pompei, he found a land afflicted by great poverty, inhabited by a few very poor peasants, ravaged by malaria and bandits. He was able to see, however, the face of Christ in everyone: in adults and children, and in particular in orphans and the children of prisoners, to whom he made the beating of God’s heart felt through his tenderness.

To those who told him that his young people were destined for the same fate as their parents, he replied that love can lead even the most difficult young people to do good and that, in every field of action, only charity ensures certain, great and definitive victories. He was right, and he demonstrated this by making this place, with faith and effort, a centre of Christian life and devotion to Mary Most Holy, known all over the world.

At the heart of it all, however, as we have said, lies prayer, and in particular the Holy Rosary. Symbolically placed at the foundation of the Shrine and the city, it is the hidden driving force that makes everything else possible. I therefore urge all of you to keep this ancient and beautiful devotion ever alive and to spread it, thanks to which, by contemplating the Mysteries of Jesus’ life through the simple and maternal eyes of Mary, “what He has done” may enter into our hearts and transform our existence (cf. Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 16 October 2002, 13).

Brothers and sisters, priests, men and women religious, couples working in foster homes, educators, volunteers, let this be your life’s programme: to be men and women of prayer, so that you may reflect, like clear and humble mirrors, the light that comes from God. In this way, through your words and deeds, you will fan the flame of love that Saint Bartolo kindled, and you will be, in service, dialogue and the life of faith, credible role models and wise guides for this wonderful youth.

And to you, children, teenagers and young people, I urge you to trust those who, with love, care for your growth, and even more so – and always in your lives – to place your trust in Jesus, the Son of God, crucified and risen, who saves and sets us free, the Friend who never abandons or rejects us, the Brother who understands us and who always walks with us. Let yourselves be drawn in and inspired by the joy that comes from His words and His example, and proclaim it to everyone. Our world needs it so much, and you, who know it so well, can be its most convincing witnesses.

Dear friends, this is a place of grace, where Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Bartolo bring together men and women of every age, origin and condition, to lead them to the one Source of that universal love that alone can give the world serenity and harmony: to lead them to God. Let us cling to Him, as we entrust, through Mary’s hands, the whole of humanity, sure that, with the help of her grace, nothing will be able to stop us from doing good, and that hope for a future of peace, here and everywhere, will be fulfilled.

Thank you for what you do! Continue with generosity and confidence. I assure you of my remembrance in prayer, I commend you to the intercession of the Mother of Heaven and of Saint Bartolo, and I bless you all from my heart.

Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, pray for us! Saint Bartolo, pray for us!