Pope Leo will begin a pastoral tour of Italy from May to August this year. The grand tour of the peninsula will include six different dates and seven destinations over the four months
The pope may potentially be taking international trips, such as one to Spain in June—although it still has yet to be fully confirmed—between his patrol of Italy and summer escapes to Castel Gandolfo.
Pope Leo will begin the Italian tour with two cities in a single day, on May 8, which is also the first anniversary of his election as pope. Remember his first Urbi et Orbi blessing?
POPE LEO XIV
Today is the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close to us, and to help us with her intercession and her love. So I would like to pray together with you.
That afternoon, the Pope prayed to Our Lady of Pompeii and, one year later, he will do so again — but in person at her shrine in Naples this time. He will also celebrate Mass there.
Pope Leo will become a pilgrim on a very important day for the city, which has a deep devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii. Her shrine is one of the most visited in Italy. Three popes have traveled there, and it welcomes millions of people each year.
On May 8, after lunch , Pope Leo will make the journey of just over 12 miles to the cathedral of Naples, where the pope will first meet with clergy and religious. He will then go out into the square to greet the citizens of the coastal Roman city.
The pope will return to this region two weeks later, on May 23, but this time to visit Acerra, a place which is also known as the “Land of Fires” or the “Triangle of Death.”
It is known by this name because of the toxic waste that was illegally dumped there for decades. To this day, people continue to die from the pollution. Pope Leo will meet with the faithful there.
Pope Francis had hoped to visit the site in May 2020, on the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’, but pandemic restrictions forced him to cancel the trip. But Pope Leo will pick up the baton, fulfilling another commitment once again that had been laid out by his predecessor.
Next, on June 20, the pope will visit Pavia. It is a special stop for the Augustinian pope: the remains of Saint Augustine of Hippo, the spiritual founder of Pope Leo's religious order, are buried. They have rested there since in 722, thirteen centuries ago.
From Pavia, he will travel to another destination: the island of Lampedusa, which was the first destination of Pope Francis. It is a place closely linked to the immigrant crisis.
Pope Leo will go there on July 4, following in the footsteps of his predecessor. The visit will draw international attention to the many migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean.
Assisi, the city of St. Francis, will also welcome Pope Leo on August 6, which will be the second time he has been there since his papacy began. The planned visit will fall on the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' death, which Pope Leo has declared a special Jubilee Year
For the final visit of his summer tour, the pope will travel to the City of Rimini to participate in the “Meeting di Rimini,” a cultural and religious gathering held there since 1980.
Pope Leo will conclude his grand Italian tour in true pastoral fashion with a final event: Mass, bringing together the faithful of the city.
