The Holy Father on May 23 met with Church leaders and local residents at Acerra in Italy\u02bcs \u201cLand of Fires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV greeted residents and civic leaders in the southern Italian town of Acerra on May 23, a region marred by toxic wastes but possessing what the pope said was \u201cbeauty no injustice can ever erase.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIn life, we come to understand that the more fragile a beauty is, the greater the care and responsibility it demands,\u201d the pope told the crowd in Acerra\u02bcs Piazza Calipari. <\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV addresses crowds in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the \u201cLand of Fires,\u201d a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez\/EWTN News<\/p>\n
The Holy Father arrived in the small town earlier in the day for a brief pastoral visit. Acerra is located about 130 miles southeast of Rome. <\/p>\n
After meeting with local Church leaders at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, the pope headed to the piazza, where he said he was \u201cdelighted\u201d to spend the Saturday morning with the crowd of around 15,000. <\/p>\n
A child smiles excitedly during Pope Leo XIV’s address in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the \u201cLand of Fires,\u201d a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez\/EWTN News<\/p>\n
The pope\u02bcs visit to the Land of Fires came on the 11th anniversary of the late Pope Francis’ landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Si’. Acerra has for years suffered environmental fallout due to the dumping of waste materials in the region.<\/p>\n
Yet \u201clife is present here, and it stands in opposition to death; justice exists, and it will prevail,\u201d the pope said. \u201cWe must, of course, choose life and break free from the bonds of death.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is always a subtle convenience to be found in resignation, in compromise, and in postponing necessary and courageous decisions,\u201d he continued. \u201cFatalism, complaining, and shifting the blame onto others serve as a breeding ground for lawlessness and mark the beginning of a desertification of consciences.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cFor this reason, I would like to say to you all: Let each of us shoulder our own responsibilities; let us choose justice; let us serve life!\u201d<\/p>\n
The pontiff further reminded the citizens of Acerra of the need to care for creation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to thank those \u2018pioneers\u2019 who, through their courageous commitment, were the first to denounce the ills plaguing this land and to draw attention to the obscured and denied reality of its poisoning,\u201d the pope said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am thinking, in particular, of the members of environmental associations,\u201d the pope said. \u201cWe all know that we must stand guard over the health of creation just as we stand guard over our own front door, and that we must resist the temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the earth, the water, the air, and our shared life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crowds hold up signs as Pope Leo XIV makes an address in the Piazza Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. The pope was visiting the \u201cLand of Fires,\u201d a region in southern Italy devastated by illegal waste dumping. | Credit: Daniel Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez\/EWTN News<\/p>\n
Acerra Mayor Tito d\u02bcErrico expressed his gratitude to the pope for his presence, pointing to the significance of the Laudato Si’ anniversary. \u201cIntegral ecology is not merely a label; it is a social and economic model that places the dignity of the human person at its very center,\u201d d\u02bcErrico said.<\/p>\n
During the visit Acerra Bishop Antonio Di Donna presented the Holy Father with two precious mementos linked to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, the patron saint of the diocese: a statue of the saint and an autograph letter.<\/p>\n
Following the event in the piazza, the pope departed by helicopter to Rome. <\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n