Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd outside the Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii during a pastoral visit in Pompei on May 8, 2026. Yonhap
POMPEII, Italy — Pope Leo XIV prayed Friday for political leaders to end the “fratricidal hatred” in the world, as he spent the anniversary of his election in the ancient city of Pompeii commemorating a feast day that is particularly important to him and coincided last year with the start of his pontificate.
Leo traveled by helicopter to Pompeii, near Naples, for a daylong visit to mark the May 8 feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. The date marks the day in 1876, when the cornerstone for a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Pompeii was laid.
The sanctuary is located near the excavations of the city that was buried in A.D. 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and spewed volcanic ash and gas across the region. While the Pompeii archaeological site draws millions of tourists each year, the sanctuary attracts Catholic pilgrims who are particularly devoted to praying the rosary.
“What a beautiful day, how many blessings the Lord wanted to give to all of us,” Leo told throngs of faithful inside the sanctuary before Mass. “I feel I am the first blessed to be able to come here to the sanctuary of the Madonna on the day of her feast and on this anniversary.”
The visit kicked off a series of day trips that Leo will be making over the next few weeks, up and down the Italian peninsula, as he gets to know better the Italian church of which he is the symbolic head as bishop of Rome.
In his homily at the sanctuary, Leo entrusted his pontificate to the Virgin Mary and prayed for peace.
“We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day,” Leo said. “May the God of peace pour out an overflowing abundance of mercy, touching hearts, soothing grudges and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance.”
Friday marked the anniversary of the election of the former Robert Prevost as history's first U.S.-born pope. Leo had referred to the Pompeii feast day on the night of his election, when he emerged on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and was introduced to the world. That night, he led the faithful in the piazza below in a prayer for his pontificate.
He said then that Mary, the mother of Christ, “always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love."
Source: Korea Times News
