VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV marks one year as leader of the Catholic Church on Friday with a visit to southern Italy, returning to his flock after weeks dominated by a clash with Washington.
The first American pontiff will mark the anniversary of his election in Pompeii and Naples, starting the visit at a shrine founded by a former Satanic priest.
The 70-year-old pope will arrive at the sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, near the ruins of the ancient Roman city destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
It holds the body of Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century saint who rediscovered his Catholic faith after being a Satanic priest.
Leo will also celebrate a mass and travel by popemobile through the crowd, with tens of thousands of faithful expected to attend.
On the eve of the visit, hundreds of seats had been set up in the plaza in front of the basilica, with workers performing soundchecks from the stage where Leo will appear.
The sanctuary has a strong connection with Leo, who cited the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii in his first address from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
The pope will then head to nearby Naples, the teeming southern Italian metropolis where he will venerate the relics of San Gennaro, the city's patron saint, and salute the crowds in the Piazza del Plebiscito.
The one-day trip marks the first of several short pastoral visits planned this summer in Italy, and comes a fortnight after a tour of four African nations.
But that tour, and the run-up to Friday's anniversary, have been overshadowed by Trump's extraordinary attack on Leo last month over the pontiff's anti-war stance.
A long line of popes, including Leo's predecessor Francis, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, have prayed at the sanctuary in Pompeii, which is known for charitable works.
The shrine also has a strong connection with Leo XIII -- the 19th century pope who inspired the current pontiff with his defence of workers -- who made the shrine a pontifical basilica in 1901.
Its founder, Longo, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonised -- made a saint -- by Leo in October 2025.
- AFP