More than 700,000 people gathered at St. Peter’s Square in Rome this October to witness one of the most remarkable events in modern Church history. On October 19, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized Bartolo Longo — a man who was once a Satanic priest.
The Vatican’s decision surprised many, but it also moved millions. Longo’s story shows how even the darkest past can be transformed by faith. As Pope Leo said at the ceremony, “Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new Saints, who, with God’s grace, kept the lamp of faith burning.”
Who Was Bartolo Longo?
Born in 1841 in Latiano, Italy, Bartolo Longo trained as a lawyer. After losing his father, he began to question his faith. Grief and doubt led him down a dangerous path — the occult.
According to the Daily Mail, Longo became obsessed with séances, fasting rituals, and dark spiritual practices. He even made what he believed was a pact with the devil and was “ordained” as a Satanic priest.
One night, Longo said he heard a voice — that of his late father — telling him, “Return to God.” The experience terrified him. He turned to a friend, Professor Vincenzo Pepe, who warned him he was “heading toward madness.” Those words became a turning point.
Road to Redemption
Shaken by guilt and fear, Longo sought help from Father Alberto Radente, a Dominican priest. For a month, he went through intense confession and repentance. Slowly, his life began to change.
Longo renounced Satanism, took a vow of celibacy, and dedicated himself to serving others. He joined the Dominican Order as a layman and spent years doing charitable work.
He built orphanages for the children of prisoners, helped the poor, and devoted his life to the Rosary and prayer. On the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, he took a vow as a lay Dominican and later founded the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, which today attracts millions of visitors each year.
Why the Church Made Him a Saint?
Longo’s transformation wasn’t just personal — it became a symbol of hope. He openly condemned spiritualism, calling it “nothing but a web of lies and deception.” In what became his last séance, he declared, “I renounce spiritualism; it is nothing but a web of lies and deception.”
When he died in 1926, he was remembered not for his dark past but for his acts of mercy and devotion. Nearly a century later, his canonization marked one of the most dramatic journeys from sin to sainthood in Vatican history.
Modern Lesson in Forgiveness
The canonization of Bartolo Longo reminds believers and skeptics alike that no one is beyond redemption. His story, once filled with darkness, now stands as a message of transformation — proof that faith can light even the deepest shadows.
