Pope Leo XIV on Saturday greeted families one by one who've lost loved ones to illegal toxic dumping in an area near Naples, as many paused to share photos and other mementos of children and young people who've died or are battling cancer—illnesses tied to a multibillion criminal racket run by the Mafia, per the AP. Leo's visit to the so-called Terra dei Fuochi, or "Land of Fires," came on the eve of the 11th anniversary of Pope Francis' big ecological encyclical "Laudato Si" ("Praised Be") and indicates Leo's commitment to carry on his predecessor's environmental agenda.
"I have come first of all to gather the tears of those who have lost loved ones, killed by environmental pollution caused by unscrupulous people and organizations who for too long were able to act with impunity," Leo said in remarks to family members and local clergy inside Acerra's cathedral. The pontiff recalled that the area was once called "Campania felix," Latin for "blessed or fruitful countryside," "capable for enchanting for its fertility, its produce, and its culture, like a hymn to life." "And yet—here is death, of the land and of men,'' the pope said.
The European Court of Human Rights last year validated a generation of residents' complaints that Mafia dumping, burial, and burning of toxic waste led to an increased rate of cancer and other ailments in the area of 90 municipalities around Caserta and Naples, encompassing a population of 2.9 million people. The court found Italian authorities had known since 1988 about the toxic pollution, blamed on the Camorra crime syndicate that controls waste disposal, but failed to take necessary steps to protect the residents. The binding ruling gave Italy two years to set up a database about the toxic waste and verified health risks associated with living there.
In opening remarks on Saturday, Bishop Antonio Di Donna estimated that 150 young people had died in the city of some 58,000 over the past three decades, emphasizing that the number didn't take into account adults and victims in other municipalities. The victims include Maria Venturato, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 25. Her father, Angelo, said he hopes to speak with the pope to explain their reality, "not for me ... [but] for the next generation." Francis' plans to visit the area in 2020 were canceled due to the pandemic.
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