It was an anniversary marked by business and pleasure for Leo XIV this week, as the visit of a high-profile United States delegation dominated the news cycle before the Pope marked his election day by visiting the Marian shrine in Pompeii.
Leo XIV’s visit to Pompeii and Naples on 8 May had long been in the calendar, and highlighted the pontiff’s devotion to Mary, which had already been demonstrated during his visit to Our Lady of Genazzano in the early days of his reign. But Friday’s visit was more than a mere act of filial Marian devotion. Our Lady of Pompeii, feast day 8 May, is a figure much beloved by Italians the length and breadth of the nation, and by choosing to spend the first anniversary of his papal election there, Leo will certainly have endeared himself even more to Italian Catholics.
