Follow-Up: Pope Leo XIV Celebrates All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Verano Cemetery, Praying Mothers' Tears May Touch the Consciences of Those Who Can Silence the Weapons
Rome, Italy: November 2 is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, known as All Souls' Day, in the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for the departed that day at Rome's Verano Cemetery, the city's largest, praying for all the faithful departed. It was his second consecutive year celebrating the liturgy at Verano; the tradition of a papal Mass at the cemetery was begun by Pope John Paul II in 1979 and revived by Pope Francis in 2013.
Before the Mass, Leo paused in prayer before a grave and laid a bouquet of flowers in remembrance of all those buried at the cemetery.
In his homily, drawing on the Beatitudes, the Pope said that through faith in Christ our bond with the dead is not interrupted but transformed. He asked the faithful to pray especially for those who have recently lost a loved one, above all those from whom a loved one was torn away by the senseless violence of war.
"May the tears of so many mothers, children, and elderly people touch the consciences of those who have the power to silence the weapons," Leo said. Vatican News reported that he also prayed for those mourning the pains of war around the world today.
The November 2 commemoration has roots more than a thousand years old: in 998, Saint Odilon of Cluny decreed that his monasteries dedicate November 2 to prayer for all the deceased, and the observance spread through the Church. At his All Saints' Day Angelus the day before, Leo had announced he would celebrate this Mass at Verano especially for the departed whom no one remembers.
Related: 诸圣节：教宗良十四世今日领诵三钟经，明日在罗马Verano墓园主持追思弥撒
(Source: Vatican News)
Source: Vatican News
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：教宗良十四世（资料照片）。Ricardo Stuckert 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Pope Leo XIV (file photo). Photo by Ricardo Stuckert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-11-01All Saints' Day: Pope Leo XIV to Lead Angelus Today and Celebrate All Souls' Mass at Rome's Verano Cemetery Tomorrow
- 2026-11-02Follow-Up: Pope Leo XIV Celebrates All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Verano Cemetery, Praying Mothers' Tears May Touch the Consciences of Those Who Can Silence the WeaponsThis story
