Anti-Pope graffiti appears in Naples ahead of visit

NAPLES, Italy, Oct 4 (Reuters) Graffiti against Pope Benedict, including one reading ''Death to Ratzinger'', was found on walls in Naples ahead of a visit there by the Pontiff later this month, witnesses said today.

A source in Italy's anti-terrorist police said they suspected the graffiti was the work of leftist and anarchist groups but were still investigating.

Anti-clerical graffiti against the Pope and Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, appeared in several Italian cities last May after Bagnasco made comments that angered the gay community.

The Pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, is due to make a one-day visit to the largest city in southern Italy on Oct. 21 to open an inter-religious meeting.

REUTERS JK PM1857