ACERRA, Italy (AP) – Pope Leo XIV visited families who have lost loved ones due to illegal toxic waste dumping in the area known as Terra dei Fuochi, or the Land of Fires, near Naples. The meeting took place on May 23, 2026, just before the 11th anniversary of Pope Francis' ecological encyclical, Laudato Si. During the visit, the pope expressed his commitment to continue his predecessor's environmental agenda.
“I have come first of all to gather the tears of those who have lost loved ones, killed by environmental pollution caused by unscrupulous people and organizations who for too long were able to act with impunity,” Pope Leo said inside the cathedral in Acerra. He reflected on how the region, once referred to as “Campania felix” or the blessed countryside, has devolved into a site of death, affecting both the land and its people.
In a landmark ruling last year, the European Court of Human Rights affirmed complaints from residents that the mafia's activities, particularly those of the Camorra crime syndicate, led to increased cancer rates and other health issues in the region surrounding Caserta and Naples, which houses approximately 2.9 million people. The court determined that Italian authorities had been aware of the toxic pollution since 1988 but had failed to safeguard public health, mandating that Italy establish a comprehensive database on toxic waste and associated health risks within two years.
Bishop Antonio Di Donna, in his opening remarks, highlighted the tragic statistic that around 150 young people from the city of Acerra, which has a population of roughly 58,000, had died from illnesses related to pollution over the past three decades. He urged Pope Leo to address those perpetuating pollution, pointing out that tons of toxic waste were reported dumped near Castera just a day before the pope's visit. Di Donna also noted that Italian officials had identified numerous additional contamination sites across the country, including areas like the Venetian port of Marghera.
“We say to those brothers of ours ensnared in evil and seized by a mirage of fabulous earnings: Convert, change your ways, because what you are doing is not only a crime, it is a sin that cries out to God for vengeance,” Di Donna remarked.
The pope also met with the mayors of the 90 affected communities and acknowledged the support of the thousands of people who turned out to see him, waving yellow flags and chanting "Papa Leone." Families of young victims took the opportunity to appeal for help, including Angelo Venturato, whose daughter Maria died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 25. Venturato expressed his desire to speak with the pope, advocating for the future of the younger generation, urging him to encourage authorities to work on healing the polluted land.
Filomena Carolla, who lost her daughter Tina De Angelis to cancer at 24, shared her feelings of anger towards those responsible for poisoning the land, exclaiming, “What did our children have to do with it? What did they have to do with it, so young?”
Pope Francis had initially planned to visit the area in 2020, but those plans were canceled due to the pandemic. Leo XIV's visit marks a significant step in the ongoing dialogue about environmental justice and the impact of criminal activities on public health in areas burdened by pollution.
