Pope Condemns Corporate Greed and Toxic Waste Dumping

Pope Leo XIV, visiting the southern Italian town of Acerra on Saturday, criticized companies he said were placing "dizzying profits" ahead of environmental protection. The area near Naples, known as the "Land of Fires", has long suffered from illegal dumping of toxic waste and a high incidence of cancer.

The Pope called for a rejection of practices that pollute the land, water and air, saying he had come to the region to "gather the tears" of families who had lost loved ones to diseases linked to toxic waste. He also met with victims during the visit.

Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italian authorities had failed to adequately protect residents from illegal waste disposal since 1988. In February, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appointed a general to lead a task force addressing both victim support and the region's ecological clean-up.

On Monday, the Pope will publish his first encyclical, addressing artificial intelligence and its impact on both war and labor rights.

(reuters, lud)