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More than 700,000 people gathered at St Peter's Square in Rome this month to witness the canonization of a former Satanic priest.
Pope Leo XIV officially declared Bartolo Longo, along with six others, as a new saint for the Catholic Church.
Longo was born in 1841 in Latiano, Italy, and trained as a lawyer. After the death of his father, he became involved in occult practices and reportedly served as a Satanic priest, engaging in extreme fasting and allegedly making a pact with a demon.
Seeking answers about life and the afterlife, he turned to local mediums before eventually being guided back to the Catholic faith by Professor Vincenzo Pepe.
After renouncing Satanism, Longo took a vow of celibacy and devoted himself to charitable works.
He founded the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, as well as an orphanage for girls in 1887 and an institute for the sons of prisoners in 1892. In 1922, he established another institute for the daughters of prisoners. He also volunteered for two years at the Neapolitan Hospital for Incurables.
Longo died in 1926 and was remembered for his dramatic transformation from a life of darkness to one of faith and service, ultimately earning sainthood in the Catholic Church.
He was canonized along with six others, including three nuns, a Venezuelan 'doctor of the poor' and an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide.
Pope Leo XIV officially declared Bartolo Longo, along with six others, as a new saint for the Catholic Church
Longo was born in 1841 in Latiano, Italy, and trained as a lawyer. After the death of his father, he became involved in occult practices and reportedly served as a Satanic priest, engaging in extreme fasting and allegedly making a pact with a demon
Pope Leo said on October 19: '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 their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness.'
The process of canonization in the Catholic Church is the formal procedure by which a deceased person is declared a saint.
It begins when the individual's life is investigated for evidence of heroic virtue, holiness and faith.
If the person is found worthy, they are first declared a 'Servant of God'.
The next step is being recognized as 'Venerable' after the Church confirms that they lived a life of exceptional virtue.
Beatification follows, requiring proof of one miracle attributed to their intercession, at which point the person is titled 'Blessed.'
Finally, canonization, the declaration of sainthood, occurs after a second verified miracle, officially adding the person to the list of saints and permitting public veneration throughout the universal Church.
Pope Leo canonized Longo along with six others, including three nuns, a Venezuelan 'doctor of the poor' and an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide
The first person formally canonized by the Catholic Church was Saint Ulrich of Augsburg, declared a saint by Pope John XV in 993AD.
While figures like St Peter and St John the Baptist are considered saints today, they were recognized before the formal process of canonization existed, as it was developed over time and eventually centralized under the Pope in the 12th century.
Longo was 'ordained' a Satanic priest, which involved leading séances, experimenting with drugs, and even getting involved in orgies.
Then one night, he heard the voice of his dead father crying out to him, 'Return to God!'
Shaken and desperate for guidance, Bartolo turned to a close friend, Professor Vincenzo Pepe, who was horrified to learn of his descent into occultism.
Pepe warned him that his actions were leading him toward madness and spiritual ruin.
His blunt words broke through Bartolo's denial, convincing him to seek help from a Dominican priest, Father Alberto Radente.
Under Father Radente's guidance, Bartolo began a month-long process of confession and repentance, eventually renouncing his former life and dedicating himself to faith and service. He became outspoken against spiritualism, often interrupting gatherings and cafés to denounce the occult.
After six years of charitable work, Bartolo took vows as a lay Dominican on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Soon after, he made a final, symbolic break from his past, attending one last séance only to stand before the crowd, raise a rosary, and declare, 'I renounce spiritualism; it is nothing but a web of lies and deception.'
