ACERRA – This Saturday, families from a toxic-waste affected region near Naples will gather to meet Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit. These families carry with them years of sorrow, anger, and a longing for justice, having lost children to cancer attributed to a multi-billion euro mafia operation involved in illegal waste disposal.
The pope’s visit to the infamous “Terra dei Fuochi” or “Land of Fires” coincides with the 11th anniversary of Pope Francis’ influential ecological encyclical, Laudato Si (Praised Be). This visit underscores Pope Leo’s commitment to continuing his predecessor’s mission of environmental advocacy.
Last year, the European Court of Human Rights upheld complaints from generations of residents who linked mafia-run waste dumping, burial, and burning to increased cancer rates and other health issues in the region encompassing 90 municipalities around Caserta and Naples, home to 2.9 million people.
The court’s findings revealed that Italian authorities had been aware since 1988 of the hazardous pollution orchestrated by the Camorra crime syndicate, which manages these waste operations. However, the government failed to implement necessary measures to safeguard residents. As a result, Italy has been mandated to establish a comprehensive database documenting the toxic waste and associated health risks within two years.
In Acerra, the pope will meet with families who have endured the devastating loss of young relatives to cancer, a tragic testament to the human impact of environmental degradation. Bishop Antonio Di Donna reported that in the city of approximately 58,000 people, 150 young lives have been claimed over the past thirty years.
“We earnestly wished for the pope to engage with these families because the children and young people who have perished are unequivocally victims of environmental pollution. There is a discernible link between pollution and the prevalence of cancer,” stated Di Donna.
The victims include Maria Venturato, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 25. Her father Angelo said he hopes to speak with the pope to explain their reality, “not for me … for the next generation.”
“I’d like to give these young people a future, so I’m asking for the pope’s help with this. That is, I’m making a strong appeal to him to go to those in power and say, ‘Look, let’s heal this land of fires,’” he said.
Filomena Carolla plans to present the pope with a book containing memories from the life of her daughter, Tina De Angelis, who died of cancer at the age of 24.
“I’m just angry at the people who poisoned the soil, because what did our children have to do with it? What did they have to do with it, so young,” Carolla said.
Francis’ plans to visit the area in 2020 were canceled by the pandemic.
