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Pope Leo XIV Celebrates All Souls' Day Mass at Rome Cemetery
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV celebrated All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Campo Verano Cemetery, encouraging Catholics to pray for the dead.
Surrounded by the tombs and monuments of Rome's largest cemetery, Pope Leo XIV celebrated All Souls' Day Mass on Nov. 2, urging Catholics to pray for the dead and remember that death does not break the bond between the faithful and Christ.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Beatitudes, focusing on Christ's promise: 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.' He offered special prayers for people grieving recent losses, particularly families devastated by war.
Pope Leo XIV also prayed at a grave before the Mass, emphasizing the transformative nature of the bond between the living and the faithful departed. 'May the tears of so many mothers, so many children, and so many elderly people touch the consciences of those who have the power to silence the weapons,' he said.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of Rome, and the parish priest of the nearby Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, were among those who concelebrated the outdoor Mass with the pope as the sun began to set on the overcast day in Rome.
Pope Leo XIV's liturgical schedule was released a day after his doctors cleared him to make the Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru without changes, just weeks after surgery for lung cancer.
The pope is scheduled to celebrate another memorial Mass Nov. 5, the day before leaving for South America, at St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, the same cemetery where he celebrated the feast last year.
Through prayer, Catholics accompany their loved ones on the journey toward full communion with God, a reality already glimpsed in the Eucharist, Pope Leo XIV said.
Worshippers gathered amid the tombs of the historic cemetery to pray for the dead during the annual liturgy.
Pope Leo XIV's visit to the cemetery is part of a tradition started by Pope Francis, continuing the Catholic Church's focus on remembrance and prayer for the dead.
What this adds
Pope Leo XIV's Mass at Campo Verano Cemetery is a continuation of a tradition that began under Pope Francis.
The cemetery, which covers more than 200 acres, suffered severe damage during the Allied bombing of Rome in 1943 and was rebuilt in 1949.
The grounds include an area designated for non-Catholics, reflecting the cemetery's role as a place of remembrance for all.
Background
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Campo Verano Cemetery on Nov. 2, continuing a tradition started by Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Verano Cemetery, encouraging Catholics to pray for the dead.
What's confirmed
- Surrounded by the tombs and monuments of the city's largest cemetery, the pope said the bond between the living and the faithful departed is not broken by death but transformed.
- In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the Beatitudes, focusing on Christ's promise: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." He offered special prayers for people grieving recent losses, particularly families devastated by war.
- “Dear brothers and sisters, our faith in Christ tells us that our bond with the faithful departed is not severed, but transformed,” Pope Leo said at the Mass in the Campo Verano Cemetery, which covers more than 200 acres.
- Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of Rome, and the parish priest of the nearby Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, were among those who concelebrated the outdoor Mass with the pope as the sun began to set on the overcast day in Rome.
- The pope is scheduled to celebrate another memorial Mass Nov.
- 2 — the day the Catholic Church commemorates All Souls’ Day — to celebrate Mass and pray for those who have died.
- The grounds, which include an area designated for non-Catholics, suffered severe damage during the Allied bombing of Rome in 1943 and were rebuilt in 1949.
What's still developing
- The pope "is following medical recommendations with great care and diligence, and with a deep determination to continue serving the Church," Carbone said.
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Sources
- Florida Catholic Medialink
- National Catholic Reporterlink
- OSV Newslink
- TheCatholicSpirit.comlink
- Wherepeterislink
- Ncregisterlink
- Catholicworldreportlink
- Cathnewslink
- Ewtnnewslink
- Thecatholictelegraphlink
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV to Celebrate All Souls' Day Mass at Campo Verano Cemetery link
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV Celebrates All Souls' Day Mass in Rome Cemetery link
- EWTN News — video link