One of the many aspects that make Leo XIV similar to Pope Francis is the closeness to the people that he has shown, as we had the opportunity to see on the anniversary of the Pope's election. While the media devoted long articles to evaluating his first year as Pontiff, Leo XIV decided to spend that day in Naples.
The city is a marvel of life and color, where the narrow streets are intertwined in the shade of the laundry and on every corner there are images of the Madonna adorned with candles and flowers or small tributes to Maradona, also with candles and flowers. In this wonderful and chaotic city we were able to see the Pope going out to meet the people, approaching the places where the Neapolitan people live their faith.
He first visited the sanctuary of the Virgin of Pompeii on her feast day, and then went to the church where the most popular relic of the city is kept, the blood of St. Jenaro, which is liquefied every year in a phenomenon of great importance and which, according to the most superstitious, is the guarantee that in that year there will be no great misfortunes. He gave a blessing with the relic and then went to one of the most emblematic squares of the city for a meeting with more than fifty thousand people.
A peculiar episode, but one that shows the personality of the Neapolitans and the simplicity of the Pope, took place at various points along the route, where different people wanted to give a traditional pizza to the Holy Father. Two of these people managed to approach the popemobile and deliver their creations to Leo XIV, one of them with his name written on the pizza and the other with a design of the Pope's image on the dough. Both faithful were received by him with the smile of a shepherd who loves his sheep and is amused by their gestures of affection.
