Pope Leo praises initiatives of groups in Naples to welcome refugees

Pope Leo marked his first year as pope with a call for peace and compassion, praising refugee support efforts in Naples while urging world leaders to reject violence and ease global tensions. The pontiff’s remarks came amid heightened diplomatic strains following his criticism of the Iran war and a recent meeting with U.S. officials at the Vatican.

Oriana Boselli/Reuters

9 May 2026 at 07:51:41

Pope Leo praises initiatives of groups in Naples to welcome refugees

Pope Leo XIV delivers a speech with a statue of St. Gennaro in the background, during a meeting with members of the clergy on the day of the first anniversary of his election, at the Naples Cathedral, in Naples, Italy, May 8, 2026.

Yara Nardi/Reuters

Marking his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church with a visit to the Italian city of Naples, Pope Leo praised on Friday (May 8) initiatives by groups there to welcome refugees.

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church on May 8, 2025.

Speaking to the crowd in central Plebiscito square, the pontiff urged Neapolitans to "continue to give voice ... to a culture of peace, countering the logic of confrontation and the force of arms as the presumed solution to conflicts."

Earlier in the day, during a visit to Pompei, a modern city about 245 km (152 miles) south of Rome near the famed ruins of a volcanic eruption, the pope asked that God would inspire world leaders to calm global tensions and reduce hatred.

He was speaking a day after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.

Leo, who has drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump after criticizing the Iran war, asked worshippers on Friday to pray that global governments would turn away from violence.

The Vatican said after the Rubio visit that the two had pledged to improve their bilateral relations, in what insiders said was an unusual recognition of unprecedented tensions.

-Oriana Boselli/Reuters