In a ceremony that drew more than 700,000 people to St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Leo XIV officially declared Bartolo Longo a saint, marking one of the most dramatic transformations in Catholic history. The canonization took place alongside six others, including three nuns, a Venezuelan “doctor of the poor,” and an archbishop killed during the Armenian genocide, according to Reuters.
From Occultism to Faith
Bartolo Longo was born in 1841 in Latiano, Italy, and trained as a lawyer. After his father’s death, he fell into occult practices, eventually serving as a Satanic priest. Reports suggest he engaged in séances, extreme fasting, and even made a pact with a demon. His descent into darkness nearly destroyed his mental health.
Everything changed when, according to accounts, Longo heard the voice of his deceased father urging him to “return to God.” Deeply shaken, he sought help from his friend Professor Vincenzo Pepe, who introduced him to Dominican priest Father Alberto Radente. Under Radente’s guidance, Longo began a long process of confession and repentance that led him to renounce Satanism and dedicate his life to service.
A Life Devoted to Charity
After turning away from the occult, Longo took a vow of celibacy and joined the Dominican order as a lay member. He spent the rest of his life supporting charitable causes, founding the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, an orphanage for girls in 1887, and institutes for the children of prisoners in 1892 and 1922. He also volunteered for two years at the Neapolitan Hospital for Incurables.
Longo’s transformation became a powerful symbol of repentance within the Church. His outspoken stance against spiritualism led him to publicly denounce occult practices, once even raising a rosary during a séance to declare, “I renounce spiritualism; it is nothing but a web of lies and deception.”
The Path to Sainthood
The process of canonization involves several stages: first being named a “Servant of God,” then “Venerable,” followed by “Blessed” after confirmation of one miracle, and finally canonization after a second verified miracle. Pope Leo XIV, during the October 19 ceremony, described Longo and the other six saints as “witnesses who kept the lamp of faith burning with God’s grace.”
Longo died in 1926, remembered not for his past, but for his unwavering faith and dedication to helping the poor and imprisoned. His journey from Satanic rituals to sainthood now stands as one of the most profound examples of redemption in modern Church history.
For further details on the canonization process, visit the official Vatican website.
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