Pompeii visit rich in significance for the pontiff.Pope Leo XIV will mark the first anniversary of his election as pontiff with a pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples in southern Italy on Friday 8 May.The visit to Pompeii was chosen by Pope Leo to celebrate the first year of his pontificate. The date carries particular weight: on the morning of 8 May 2025 - the second day of the conclave - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated Mass at the Pompeii shrine in the Vatican and led the recitation of the Supplication to the Virgin Mary. Later that afternoon, the white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel to signal the election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV.   Papal programme The pope will depart from the Vatican heliport at 08.00 and arrive less than an hour later at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii where he will be welcomed by church representatives and civil authorities and will meet representatives of the shrine's charitable initiatives. Leo will then visit the chapel to venerate the relics of Bartolo Longo whose promotion of Marian devotion helped establish the shrine as a major pilgrimage site. At 10.30, the pope will celebrate Mass in Piazza Bartolo Longo, the square named after the saint he canonised last October. At midday, the traditional Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii will take place. In his first address as pope a year ago, Leo XIV explicitly invoked the Supplication, saying: "Our blessed mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close to us, she always wants to help us with her intercession and her love." The visit also falls on the 125th anniversary of the inauguration of the famous "Pax" inscription on the façade of the Pompeii sanctuary, placed there by its founder Bartolo Longo and dedicated to universal peace - a resonant symbol for a pope who has made peace the defining theme of his first year. Naples After lunch, the Pope will depart by helicopter at 15.00 for nearby Naples where he will be welcomed by Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples. He will meet the clergy and members of consecrated life of the Archdiocese at the Cathedral, and will proceed privately to the Royal Chapel of the Treasury of Saint Gennaro for Eucharistic adoration, before venerating the bust and reliquary containing the ampoules of the blood of the patron saint of Naples. The final major event of the day will begin at 17.30 when the pope will greet the people of Naples in the central Piazza del Plebiscito. The gathering will conclude with an Act of Entrustment to the Virgin Mary, before a venerated image of the Immaculate Conception brought into the square to mark the bicentenary of its coronation, after which Pope Leo will impart his Apostolic Blessing before departing for the Vatican at 18.45. The Pompeii and Naples visit is the first in a series of pastoral trips Leo XIV has planned across Italy over the coming months, including a visit to the island of Lampedusa - known as a primary entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean - on 4 July. Photo credit: Riccardo De Luca - Update / Shutterstock.com

Pope Leo XIV will mark the first anniversary of his election as pontiff with a pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples in southern Italy on Friday 8 May. The visit to Pompeii was chosen by Pope Leo to celebrate the first year of his pontificate. The date carries particular weight: on the morning of 8 May 2025 - the second day of  - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated Mass at the Pompeii shrine in the Vatican and led the recitation of the Supplication to the Virgin Mary. Later that afternoon, the white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel to signal the  as Pope Leo XIV.   The pope will depart from the Vatican heliport at 08.00 and arrive less than an hour later at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii where he will be welcomed by church representatives and civil authorities and will meet representatives of the shrine's charitable initiatives. Leo will then visit the chapel to venerate the relics of Bartolo Longo whose promotion of Marian devotion helped establish the shrine as a major pilgrimage site. At 10.30, the pope will celebrate Mass in Piazza Bartolo Longo, the square named after the saint he canonised last October. At midday, the traditional Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii will take place. In his first address as pope a year ago, Leo XIV explicitly invoked the Supplication, saying: "Our blessed mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close to us, she always wants to help us with her intercession and her love." The visit also falls on the 125th anniversary of the inauguration of the famous "Pax" inscription on the façade of the Pompeii sanctuary, placed there by its founder Bartolo Longo and dedicated to universal peace - a resonant symbol for a pope who has made peace the defining theme of his first year. After lunch, the Pope will depart by helicopter at 15.00 for nearby Naples where he will be welcomed by Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples. He will meet the clergy and members of consecrated life of the Archdiocese at the Cathedral, and will proceed privately to the Royal Chapel of the Treasury of Saint Gennaro for Eucharistic adoration, before venerating the bust and reliquary containing the ampoules of the . The final major event of the day will begin at 17.30 when the pope will greet the people of Naples in the central Piazza del Plebiscito. The gathering will conclude with an Act of Entrustment to the Virgin Mary, before a venerated image of the Immaculate Conception brought into the square to mark the bicentenary of its coronation, after which Pope Leo will impart his Apostolic Blessing before departing for the Vatican at 18.45. The Pompeii and Naples visit is the first in a series of pastoral trips Leo XIV has planned across Italy over the coming months, including a visit to the island of Lampedusa - known as a primary entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean - on 4 July. Photo credit: Riccardo De Luca - Update / Shutterstock.com