Pope Leo XIV Canonizes Seven New Saints
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV canonized seven individuals, bestowing upon them the title of saints. Among those recognized was a former satanic priest who has become somewhat of a legend in Catholic circles.
The event attracted over 70,000 attendees at the Vatican. This was notably the second canonization ceremony since Pope Leo XIV assumed the papacy in May.
One of the prominent figures on this occasion was Bartolo Longo, an Italian lawyer who once served as a priest in the Church of Satan before returning to Catholicism. Longo played a key role in establishing the Pontifical Curia of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii.
Bartolo, who passed away in 1926 at the age of 85, initially strayed from the Catholic Church following the death of his mother during his childhood.
At that time, Giuseppe Garibaldi, a key figure advocating for the unification of Italy, was working to abolish the papal city-states.
Longo soon found himself deeply involved in the occult, which was relatively simplistic compared to today’s practices. He climbed the ranks to become a high-ranking priest in the Church of Satan, even pledging his allegiance to the devil and presiding over various rituals for over a year.
However, his time away from the Church didn’t persist for long. Influenced by his family and a professor at the University of Naples, where he studied law, he rekindled his faith with a renewed passion, as he later shared.
Before his official canonization, Bartolo was informally regarded as a patron saint for those grappling with their spiritual journeys.
Other newly canonized saints included an archbishop who died during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea, a Venezuelan doctor dedicated to the less fortunate, and three nuns who committed their lives to charitable works.
The “Seven Witnesses” had their portraits displayed in windows surrounding St. Peter’s Square, and Pope Leo XIV emerged from the cathedral in a white ceremonial cassock, a sight for many gathered.
“Today we have before us seven witnesses, new saints, who, by the grace of God, have kept the lamp of faith burning,” Leo stated during his sermon. “May their intercession help us in our trials, and may their example inspire us in our common vocation to holiness.”
Just last month, Leo had canonized Carlo Acutis, a young boy who passed away at 15 from cancer, recognized for his efforts in cataloging miracles across the globe. Also canonized was Pier Giorgio Frassati, a 24-year-old man known for his philanthropic spirit who died in 1925.
The path to sainthood typically requires an individual to have died, performed at least two verified miracles, and lived a life exemplary of Christian values.
