Supplication to the Madonna of Pompei (Feast of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary)

May 8, 2025, the «Prophetic Supplication»

The May 8, 2025, anniversary fell on the second day of the conclave. While thousands of faithful in Pompei were reciting the Supplication at 12 noon, Pope Leo XIV was being elected in Rome, who in his first greeting from the Loggia recalled: «Today is May 8th, the day of the Supplication to the Madonna of Pompei». Hence the nickname «Prophetic Supplication» with which the Italian press reported on that day, and the name chosen by the Pontiff, which recalls Leo XIII, the Pope of the Rosary and first supporter of Bartolo Longo's work.

The October Supplication and the canonization

On Sunday, October 5, 2025, the second Supplication of the year was held on the churchyard of the Shrine: the morning Eucharistic concelebration was presided over by Msgr. Vincenzo Pisanello, bishop of Oria - the diocese where Bartolo Longo was born - welcomed by the Archbishop Prelate Msgr. Tommaso Caputo. The pouring rain did not stop the pilgrims. On the eve, the nocturnal Marian vigil had taken place, with the Midnight Mass presided over by Msgr. Caputo, and in the preceding days, the unveiling of the Painting. From the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV invited everyone to intensify prayer for peace. Two weeks later, on October 19, 2025, Bartolo Longo was proclaimed a saint in St. Peter's Square.