Faith and Charity in Naples

Matthew Neugebauer

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Statue of the Virgin Mary, crowned with stars, holding the child Jesus, above the word ‘PAX’ in large capital letters. The white statue stands against a blue sky

Statue atop the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, where Pope Leo XIV is presiding over Mass at the beginning of his Pastoral Visit to Metropolitan Naples. iStock photo.

Faith and Charity in Naples

Leo XIV travels to Pompeii and Naples in the first of a series of Pastoral Visits this summer

Tomorrow, on the first anniversary of his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV is beginning his series of Pastoral Visits to Italy. He’ll visit the Metropolitan City of Naples and the nearby town of Pompeii.

Pompeii is well-known for its first-century ruins, the remnants of the ancient Roman city destroyed after the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius. However, modern Pompeii owes its growth to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, founded in the late 19th century by lawyer and Third Order Dominican St. Bartolo Longo. Longo wanted to express his deep devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, as well as raise the spiritual health of the people in the town. Tomorrow morning, the Holy Father will follow in St. Bartolo’s footsteps by meeting with poor and marginalized members of the community. He will then preside over Mass and lead an act of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii (written by St. Bartolo!) in the shrine church.

In the afternoon, the pope will make the 30-km trip around Vesuvius up to Naples. Highlights of his time there include: gatherings with clergy and religious in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary and with residents of the city in the Piazza del Plebiscito. He will also meet with the Community of the Minim Fathers in the piazza's Basilica of St. Francis of Paola. St. Francis founded the Minims in the same mould as the Friars Minor of his namesake of Assisi. They are devoted to serving the poor, and have a charism of deep humility marked by a fourth vow of “Perpetual Lenten Life”: they abstain from meat, dairy, and eggs for 365 days a year.

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The Minims’ service and humility offer a moving witness to the love of Christ and his Mother in the bustling metropolis, and in a world marked by conflict and the accumulation of wealth. Naples is the third-largest city in Italy and capital of the Campania region. It boasts an impressive, millennia-long history as a political and cultural centre for all of southern Italy, and a locus of social unity; the piazza where Pope Leo will meet with Naples’ citizens is named for the popular vote that brought the city into the unifying Kingdom of Italy. To cite one example of its cultural heritage, its theatre can claim to be the birthplace of comedic opera! The Holy Father has consistently called for steadfast faith and the restoration of peace. The Minims offer a sign of the enduring power of these virtues for a city that may be called to harness its rich cultural, political, and human resources toward building a more just and unified world.

We’re pleased to broadcast the Mass and Supplication in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii at 10:30 am ET / 7:30 am PT on Salt + Light TV and Salt + Light Plus.