Pope Leo XIV Visits Acerra to Condemn Toxic Waste Dumping

Pope Leo XIV visited the southern Italian city of Acerra on Saturday, meeting with families who have lost loved ones to illnesses linked to decades of illegal toxic waste dumping in the region known as the "Land of Fires." During his four-hour visit, the pontiff condemned the pursuit of profit at the expense of public health and the environment.

The pope delivered an address at Acerra's cathedral and spoke in a city square, focusing on the communities affected by the long-standing pollution crisis. He stated he had come to gather the tears of families who had lost loved ones and criticized what he called a deadly mix of obscure interests and indifference. The pope said unscrupulous people and organizations have been allowed to act with impunity for too long and urged a rejection of temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, and air.

The environmental crisis is centered in an area of approximately 90 municipalities around Naples and Caserta, home to about 2.9 million people. For decades, hazardous waste, often transported from Italy's industrial north, has been illegally buried and burned there, contaminating soil, groundwater, and air...