The Holy Father on May 23 met with Church leaders and local residents at Acerra in Italy’s ‘Land of Fires.’
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 “beauty no injustice can ever erase.”
“In life, we come to understand that the more fragile a beauty is, the greater the care and responsibility it demands,” the Pope told the crowd in Acerraʼs Piazza Calipari.
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.
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 “delighted” to spend the Saturday morning with the crowd of around 15,000.
