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Pope Leo XIV has marked his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church with a pastoral visit to southern Italy, drawing thousands of worshippers to Pompeii and Naples after weeks of international attention over tensions with Washington.
The first American pope, elected on May 8, 2025, arrived in Pompeii on Friday morning aboard a yellow helicopter that circled over a packed square filled with pilgrims waiting to welcome him. Cheers of “the pope has arrived!” rang out as the aircraft descended near the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii.
The visit came just one day after Leo held talks at the Vatican with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following criticism of the pope’s anti-war views from US President Donald Trump.
Among those gathered in Pompeii was 68-year-old Salvatore Sica, who travelled from nearby Naples to catch a glimpse of the pontiff.
“I’m curious to see the new pope,” Sica said. “He’s not like Francis, who was one of the family like a brother or a father.”
While describing Leo as more reserved than his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, Sica still praised him, saying: “He preaches peace… But he is a good pope.”
Many worshippers viewed Leo’s response to political criticism as calm and measured. Mariella Annunziata, 52, said the pope handled Trump’s remarks “in an elegant way”.
“He did not give in to provocation,” she said, adding that Leo “seems to have a very international vision”.
Fra Gianluca, a 24-year-old Franciscan friar, also defended the pope’s approach, saying Leo had shown “the beautiful face of someone who receives an offence but knows that what he is doing is for the good of the Church”.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to the pope on social media, describing his voice as “a point of reference on a global level” during what she called a “complex and highly uncertain time”.
Leo’s stop in Pompeii carried symbolic importance. The sanctuary has deep ties to the pope, who referenced the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii during his first public address at St Peter’s Basilica after his election. The shrine also houses the body of Bartolo Longo, a former Satanic priest who later returned to the Catholic faith and was canonised by Leo in October 2025.
Later in the day, the pope travelled to Naples, where he was expected to venerate the relics of San Gennaro, the city’s patron saint, and greet crowds gathered in Piazza del Plebiscito.
The one-day tour is the first in a series of planned summer pastoral visits across Italy and follows Leo’s recent trip to four African nations.
