said he felt blessed as he marked this Friday the first anniversary of his leadership of the Catholic Church, with a visit to southern Italy and a reunion with the faithful following the diplomatic clash with Washington, D.C.
The first U.S.-born pontiff, who also holds Peruvian citizenship, arrived in Pompeii this morning, a city known for its Roman ruins destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
There, he visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, which houses the remains of Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century figure who returned to Catholicism after having been a satanic priest and whom Leo himself canonized in October.
"What a beautiful day... so many blessings!" the Pope told the crowd of faithful, among whom were around 400 sick and disabled people.
"I feel particularly blessed to be able to come here, to this sanctuary, on this anniversary day," he added.
After Pompeii, the Bishop of Rome traveled to Naples.
Pope Leo XIV has a strong personal connection to this sanctuary, which he mentioned in his first speech from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after being elected by the College of Cardinals on May 8, 2025.
The crowd shouted "the Pope has arrived" as a white helicopter appeared over Pompeii's square, where thousands of faithful had gathered.
One of them was 68-year-old Salvatore Sica, who came from nearby Naples.
Pope Leo XIV's restrained and discreet style contrasts with the outgoing personality of Argentine Pope Francis, who died on April 21 last year.
The one-day trip to southern Italy comes after the April tour of four African nations and one month before the week-long visit to Spain in June.