St. Peter’s Square was filled with emotion on Sunday, October 19, as Pope Leo XIV canonized seven new saints — among them Bartolo Longo, the former Satanic priest who turned into one of the Catholic Church’s most remarkable converts.
Over 70,000 pilgrims gathered at the Vatican for the ceremony, the second canonization led by Pope Leo XIV since his election in May.
The event was marked by hymns, processions, and the unveiling of portraits of the “seven witnesses” — now formally recognized as saints.
Bartolo Longo’s story stood out for its extraordinary redemption arc. Born in Italy in 1841, he lost his mother early and drifted into occultism during Italy’s turbulent unification period.
Under the influence of radical movements of the time, he joined a Satanic sect, eventually becoming one of its high priests and publicly renouncing the Catholic faith.
His conversion came after a period of despair. Influenced by his devout family and a Catholic professor at the University of Naples, Longo abandoned the occult and sought reconciliation with the Church.
“He who prays is not lost,” he once said after returning to faith — a line that would define his later life.
Longo devoted the rest of his years to acts of charity, establishing the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii — now a global pilgrimage site — and promoting devotion to the Rosary.
He died in 1926 at the age of 85 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 before his final canonization this week.
Other newly canonized figures include an archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea, a Venezuelan physician known as the “doctor of the poor,” and three nuns celebrated for their lifelong service to charity.
During the homily, Pope Leo XIV reflected on their legacy: “Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new Saints, who, with God’s grace, kept the lamp of faith burning. May their intercession assist us in our trials and inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness.”
The process of sainthood in the Catholic Church requires proof of at least two verified miracles and evidence of a virtuous Christian life. Longo’s journey — from darkness to devotion — now stands as one of the most dramatic transformations in Church history.
Last month, Pope Leo XIV also canonized Carlo Acutis, known as “God’s Influencer,” and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the “man of the Beatitudes,” marking a renewed focus on modern witnesses of faith.
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