ACERRA, Italy: During a visit to southern Italy’s heavily polluted region known as the “Land of Fires,” Pope Leo XIV sharply condemned corporations chasing excessive profits at the cost of environmental and public health. Speaking in Acerra, near Naples, the first American pope called on the global community to reject the “temptations of power and enrichment” linked to practices that degrade land, water, air, and local communities.
The pope’s visit highlighted an area notorious for illegal toxic waste dumping and elevated cancer rates among its residents. He expressed his purpose as coming to “gather the tears” of families who have lost loved ones to illnesses connected to environmental contamination. Residents greeted the pontiff enthusiastically, waving Vatican flags and holding photos of deceased relatives as he passed through the town in the popemobile before meeting victims and local families.
In a significant development last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italian authorities had failed for decades to protect residents from illegal waste disposal, a problem dating back to at least 1988. The region, also called the “Triangle of Death,” has long been scrutinized for links between organized crime syndicates and waste management operations.
For years, waste collection and disposal in parts of southern Italy were reportedly controlled by private operators connected to the Camorra mafia around Naples. Pope Leo condemned these “unscrupulous people and organisations” who have operated with impunity for far too long, cautioning against economic interests that disregard public welfare and environmental safety.
Following the European court’s ruling, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni established a special task force last year to supervise environmental cleanup efforts and provide assistance to affected families. Meanwhile, the pope’s statements precede the release of his first major encyclical on Monday, anticipated to address artificial intelligence, including ethical concerns about its use in warfare and its effects on workers’ rights.
The Vatican has recently expressed increasing apprehension about the social and ethical implications of rapidly evolving AI technologies, signaling a growing focus on these issues within the Church’s teachings.
