From Dark Pact to Divine Honor: The Stunning Transformation of a Satanic Priest into a Catholic Saint
So, here’s a kicker for ya: “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.” That Oscar Wilde zinger perfectly nails the wild ride of the newest saint to get the nod from Pope Leo XIV — a guy who went from allegedly leading Satan’s choir to shining a spotlight on faith itself. Earlier this month, the Vatican played host to a blockbuster canonisation ceremony with seven folks stepping into sainthood. Among ‘em? A doctor of the poor, an archbishop martyred in the Armenian genocide, three heroic nuns… and, wait for it, a former Satanist “priest” turned holy beacon: Bartolo Longo. Pope Leo XIV called these new saints “lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ” — but let’s be real, Longo’s story might just light up your imagination the most. Ready to peek behind the curtain of faith, redemption, and the downright bizarre?
‘Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future’, Oscar Wilde once said – and that certainly rings true for the latest one appointed by Pope Leo XIV.
Earlier this month, thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square as seven new saints were canonised by the head of the Catholic Church.
“Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new saints, who, with God’s grace, kept the lamp of faith burning,” the Pope told the more than 70,000-strong crowd on 19 October.
“Indeed, they themselves became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ. May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness.”
He described the seven saints – including a ‘doctor of the poor’ from Venezuela, an archbishop who was killed in the Armenian genocide, and three nuns – as ‘martyrs for their faith’, ‘evangelisers and missionaries’, ‘charismatic founders’ of congregations, or ‘benefactors of humanity’.
The canonisation ceremony, which is Pope Leo’s second since he took over, also honoured a former satanist ‘priest’, Bartolo Longo.
Bartolo Longo, who claimed to have been ‘ordained’ as a Satanic priest, was made a saint by Pope Leo (Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Who was Bartolo Longo?
Longo’s backstory is arguably the most interesting out of the seven new saints, given that he spectacularly defected from demonic worship after a good few years of dabbling in it.
He was born in Latiano, Italy, in February 1841 to a family of devout Roman Catholics – but reportedly began to distance himself from his faith while studying law in Naples in the 1860s.
According to the Catholic news network EWTN, Longo then became immersed in a Satanist cult following the death of his father and is alleged to have claimed that he was ‘ordained’ as a so-called Satanist ‘priest’.
‘Pact with a demon’
Longo also took part in extreme fasting and allegedly made a pact with a demon, the Daily Mail reported.
He allegedly made a deal with a demon (Royalty-free/Getty)
He then reportedly struggled with anxiety and depression for several years until a university professor, Vincenzo Pepe, intervened.
The academic is said to have convinced Longo to embrace Catholicism once again – seeing him renounce Satanism, take a vow of celibacy, and completely turn his life around.
Miracles and finding God again
Prior to his death in 1926, Longo did a great deal of the Lord’s work.
By 1871, he had become a third-order Dominican and was feverishly working to encourage people in Pompeii to return to their faith.
He went on to receive a portrait of Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii, and according to the Catholic News Agency, ‘miracles started to happen’.
On the first day Longo unveiled the picture to the public, a 12-year-old girl who suffered from ‘incurable’ epileptic seizures was said to have been ‘completely healed’.
Archbishop Tommaso Caputo of Pompei told EWTN of the saint’s work: “Longo arrived in Pompeii to take care of the properties of the countess and, walking through those streets – dangerous because of the presence of bandits and malaria – he felt an inner inspiration.
Longo was among six others who were awarded the honour by the head of the Catholic Church on 19 October (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“That day, the young lawyer promised himself that he would never leave that valley of Pompeii without first spreading the prayer of the rosary. It all began that day.
“Longo began by catechising the peasants; he then renovated the small parish church of the Holy Saviour and, on the advice of Bishop Giuseppe Formisano of Nola, decided to build a new church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary – this church became the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii.”
Among his myriad of charitable efforts, Longo opened an orphanage for girls in 1887, as well as an institute to house the sons of prisoners in 1892, followed by one for their daughters in 1922.
His work ultimately earned him a sainthood, which he was awarded earlier this month.
Longo’s last words
The reported last words of Longo, who is known as the ‘Apostle of the Rosary’, were: “My only desire is to see Mary who saved me and who will save me from the clutches of Satan.”
Members of the Catholic Church have hailed Longo as an inspiration due to his mental health struggles, such as Dominican Father Joseph-Anthony Kress.
“As a priest, I’ve seen many people who think that after they convert…that mental health shouldn’t be an issue anymore,” he told EWTN. “But [Longo] is a great witness to somebody who struggles through that.”
He added that whenever the saint would be ‘on the very brink of despair, he recalled the promise of our Blessed Mother to St. Dominic that anyone who promotes the rosary will be saved’.
“And so it was the promises that gave him enough hope to persevere through those dark moments,” Kress said.
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