Pope Leo delivered sharp criticism against corporations pursuing massive profits while damaging the environment during a Saturday visit to a region of Italy notorious for toxic waste problems.
The pontiff traveled to Acerra, located approximately 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Rome, where he condemned what he called “dizzying” corporate profits that come at the expense of environmental destruction. Leo, who is the first U.S. pope, called on the global community to “reject temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, air, and social coexistence.”
The papal visit focused on an area near Naples dubbed the “Land of Fires,” where the European Court of Human Rights determined last year that government officials failed to shield local residents from illegal waste disposal activities dating back to at least 1988. Leo explained his motivation for the trip was to “gather the tears” of families who have lost relatives to illnesses connected to the contamination.
Crowds welcomed the pope’s arrival via popemobile in an outdoor plaza on the bright spring afternoon, with supporters displaying small Vatican flags in yellow and white, wearing yellow caps, and holding up signs featuring photographs of deceased family members.
During his remarks, Leo, who has adopted increasingly direct language in recent months and plans to release his first major document on Monday, stated that “unscrupulous people and organizations have been allowed to act with impunity for too long.” Throughout his four-hour stay in Acerra, he also criticized “the dizzying profits of a few, blind to the needs of people, their work and their future.” The pope also held meetings with affected residents.
For many years, waste collection, processing and disposal operations in southern Italy were controlled by a limited number of private entities, with some contracts connected to the Camorra, a mafia organization operating in the Naples region.
The European court ruled in January 2025 that Italian government officials repeatedly failed to take action against illegal dumping in an area also called the “Triangle of Death,” named for the unusually high cancer rates affecting local populations.
The court mandated that the Italian government create a complete database of contaminated sites and inform citizens about health risks within two years.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni named an Italian general in February 2025 to lead a special unit focused on assisting victims and pursuing environmental restoration efforts.
Leo plans to release his first encyclical, a significant religious text, to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on Monday. The document is anticipated to examine artificial intelligence developments and how the technology affects warfare and workers’ rights.
