The China Mail - Leo marks one year as pope in Pompeii, Naples

The first American pontiff will mark the anniversary of his May 8, 2025 election in Pompeii and Naples, starting the visit at a shrine founded by a former Satanic priest.

The 70-year-old pope will arrive shortly before 9:00 am (0700 GMT) at the sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, near the ruins of the ancient Roman city destroyed by a volcanic eruption.

It holds the body of Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century saint who rediscovered his Catholic faith after being a Satanic priest.

Leo will also celebrate a mass and travel by popemobile through the crowd, with tens of thousands of faithful expected to attend.

On the eve of the visit, hundreds of seats had been set up in the plaza in front of the basilica, with workers performing soundchecks from the stage where Leo will appear.

Local Nicoletta Barbato, 51, said she volunteered for a charity helping disadvantaged families who Leo is scheduled to meet on Friday.

She said she would be presenting a baby from one of the families for the pope's blessing.

"The hope is that the five-month-old baby will get blessed," she said, vowing to hold her up high in his sights.

The sanctuary has a strong connection with Leo, who cited the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii in his first address from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

The pope will then head to nearby Naples, the teeming southern Italian metropolis where he will venerate the relics of San Gennaro, the city's patron saint, and salute the crowds in the Piazza del Plebiscito.

The one-day trip marks the first of several short pastoral visits planned this summer in Italy, and comes a fortnight after a tour of four African nations.

But that tour, and the run-up to Friday's anniversary, have been overshadowed by Trump's extraordinary attack on Leo last month over the pontiff's anti-war stance.

Leo on Thursday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, with the latter seeking to mend ties.

A US spokesman hailed the "strong relationship" between the Vatican and the Holy See, while an official told AFP the talks had been "friendly and constructive".

In a terse statement, the Vatican said the Holy See and the United States discussed the "need to work tirelessly for peace".

- Two saints, many crowds -

A long line of popes, including Leo's predecessor Francis, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, have prayed at the sanctuary in Pompeii, which is known for charitable works.

The shrine also has a strong connection with Leo XIII -- the 19th century pope who inspired the current pontiff with his defence of workers -- who made the shrine a pontifical basilica in 1901.

Its founder, Longo, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonised -- made a saint -- by Leo in October 2025.

Pompeii resident Salvatore Pepe, 44, said the crush of pilgrims expected Friday might keep him away.

"I live 50 metres from the plaza, so I can stick my head out of the window," he laughed.

In Pompeii, Leo will meet with people helped by sanctuary charity programmes, pray before the glass case holding Longo's preserved body inside the sanctuary, and celebrate a mass.

The pope will then fly by helicopter to Naples, where he heads to the Duomo, the cathedral that hold the relics of San Gennaro, and give a speech.

He will then greet the crowds gathered in the huge Piazza del Plebiscito outside the Basilica of St Francis of Paola, where inside he will give another address, before departing the city.

T.Luo--ThChM