The blood of Saint Januarius, a saint of great popular devotion in Naples, was indeed liquefied during Leo XIV's visit to the city on May 8, 2026. From the cathedral that houses the famous relic, in front of some 2,000 clerics and religious of the diocese, the Pope delivered his encouragement to the priests in the difficult social context of this city marked by "multiple faces of poverty" and "bloodied by violence."
After spending Friday morning in Pompeii, the Pope boarded a helicopter to Naples, the capital of Campania, about 20 miles away. "I came to Naples to experience the warmth that only Naples can offer," declared the Bishop of Rome as he made his first stop at the city's cathedral.
Speaking briefly on the steps, he explained that he wanted "to pay homage to Saint Januarius, who means so much to your devotion and your faith."
Indeed, one of the Pontiff's first acts in the cathedral was the veneration of the blood of this early martyr, preserved in a precious reliquary. The legendary miracle of its liquefaction is a very popular event in Naples: Every year, it is seen as a sign of divine blessing if it occurs, and of misfortune if it fails. Like his predecessors, Leo XIV participated in this tradition, lifting the vial and showing the assembly, with a smile, that the blood had indeed liquefied — the relic had been in this state since May 2nd.
Find out about the history and significance of this recurring miracle here:
The Holy Father gave two speeches during his few hours in Naples, the first to the clergy and religious, and the second to the crowds gathered in the plaza.
From the outset of his first speech, the Pontiff praised a people "unmistakable and joyful, despite the weight of so much hardship."
"Today, I am here also to let myself be infected by this joy," he affirmed, triggering a long round of applause. He also paid tribute to the "popular, spontaneous, and effervescent religiosity" of the Neapolitans.
Naples is known especially for the plague of organized crime and the famous Italian mafias. But some 50,000 Neapolitans danced and sang as they met with the Pontiff, and he responded with his own joy. One particularly iconic moment came as he was offered some of the region's famous pizza.
Before Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, Leo XIV celebrated the beauty of this "pearl of the Mediterranean, which Vesuvius overlooks from above."
But the Pontiff also acknowledged the "wounds, the poverty, and the fears" that pervade a Naples "often tired, disoriented, and disappointed." Nearly 40% of families in the greater Naples area struggle to make ends meet, according to a study by the ISTAT statistics institute published in April.
In a speech that received a standing ovation before the Pope's address, the Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, had unequivocally denounced the Camorra – the mafia that continues to perpetrate its misdeeds in the region. He had pointed to its “educational lie, [its] false promise, [its] religion of money.”
Leo XIV urged the people not to abandon the dream of a Naples "redeemed from evil and healed of its wounds." He encouraged them to unite to "rebuild the city, protect your children from the snares of distress and evil," and make the city "a capital of humanity and hope."
"Viva Napoli!" -- long live Naples -- exclaimed the Pope, taking the microphone again at the end of the meeting, before leaving to return to the Vatican.
