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Pope Leo Visits Italy’s Land of Fires to Demand Action on Mafia Toxic Waste

The pope’s visit increases pressure on Rome to meet a European court deadline to produce a toxic-site database.

Illegal waste is seen on the side of a road in the outskirts of the southern Italian town of Acerra in the Terra dei Fuochi, or Land of Fires, an area scarred by decades of pollution from illegal waste dumping and burning, much of it linked to organized criminal groups, Friday, May 22, 2026, a day ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV attends a meeting with bishops, members of the clergy, and families whose members have been victims of environmental pollution at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for a meeting with Mayors and faithful of various municipalities of the so-called "Land of Fires," an area long plagued by illegal toxic waste dumping and burning, at Piazza Nicola Calipari in Acerra, Italy, May 23, 2026. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Illegal waste is seen on the side of a road in the outskirts of the southern Italian town of Acerra in the Terra dei Fuochi, or Land of Fires, an area scarred by decades of pollution from illegal waste dumping and burning, much of it linked to organized criminal groups, Friday, May 22, 2026, a day ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Overview

  • Pope Leo traveled to Acerra on Saturday, May 23, 2026, and met families who lost children to illnesses they and local clergy link to decades of illegal toxic dumping.
  • A January 2025 European Court of Human Rights ruling found state failure since 1988 and gave Italy two years to create a comprehensive database of contaminated sites and to inform the public of verified health risks.
  • Public-health studies and official inquiries cite higher-than-normal cancer rates across roughly 90 municipalities and name pollutants such as heavy metals, dioxins and asbestos contaminating soil, water and air.
  • Reporting and court findings tie the waste trade to the Camorra mafia, which profited by taking illegal disposal contracts or burning waste instead of lawful treatment.
  • The government set up a task force in February 2025 led by an Italian general, but activists and local officials say dumping persists and the pope’s visit aims to sharpen moral and public scrutiny that could push for faster, transparent cleanup and communication.