Pope decries profits earned by companies that pollute
During his visit to a region in Italy known as a hotbed of illegal dumping of toxic waste, Pope Leo called out companies trying to make “dizzying” profits at the expense of environmental pollution.
The first U.S. pope to visit Acerra, south of Rome, called on the world to “reject the temptations of power and enrichment associated with practices that pollute land, water, air and social coexistence.”
Leo said he wanted to come to the area near Naples, known as the “Land of Fire” where the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2025 that authorities had failed to protect residents from dumping waste since at least 1988, to “collect the tears” of families who lost loved ones to related diseases.
Driving to an outdoor plaza on a sunny spring day, Leo was greeted by people waving small yellow-and-white Vatican flags and wearing yellow hats; some held poster boards bearing pictures of deceased family members.
Leo, who has spoken more forcefully in recent months and will publish his first major document on Monday, said that “unscrupulous individuals and organizations have been allowed to act with impunity for too long.”
During his four-hour visit to Acerra on Saturday, he also cited “the dizzying profits of a few people who are blind to people’s needs, their jobs and their future.”
He also met the victims.
For years, the collection, processing and disposal of garbage in southern Italy was largely in the hands of a small private owner; The contracts were sometimes tied to the Camorra, a mafia group based in Naples.
In January 2025, the European court found that Italian authorities had repeatedly failed to take action to stop illegal dumping in an area also known as the “Triangle of Death” due to abnormally high cancer rates among residents.
The court gave the Italian government two years to create a comprehensive database of toxic waste sites and publicize the risks.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appointed an Italian general in February 2025 to head a task force aimed at helping victims and continuing environmental cleanup.
On Monday, Leo will issue his first encyclical, a major text to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
It is expected to cover the rise of artificial intelligence and how the technology is being used in warfare and challenging workers’ rights.
