(OSV News) — Surrounded by the tombs and monuments of Rome’s largest cemetery, Pope Leo XIV offered All Souls’ Day Mass Nov. 2, saying prayer for the dead helps lead our loved ones toward full communion with the Lord.
“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.
“Through our prayers for the dead, we accompany our loved ones toward full communion with the Lord — that communion which we truly already taste here, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist,” he said. “Inspired by this faith full of hope, we continue our earthly journey, awaiting the day when He will wipe away every tear, when ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Rev 21:4).”
On All Souls’ Day, or the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, the universal church prays for the souls of all those in purgatory. On that day and throughout the entire month of November is customary for Catholics to go to pray in a cemetery and to ask for Masses to be said in remembrance of those who have died.
In his homily in the cemetery, Pope Leo reflected on how “the Beatitudes are the path to a full and fulfilled life, both now and for eternity.”
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’
“Among the eight Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew, there is one that touches us in a special way today: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ (Mt 5:4),” the pope said. “At this moment, we wish to pray for all those who have recently lost a loved one; in particular, for those from whom a loved one has been torn away by the senseless violence of war.”
He added, “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.”
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.
On Nov. 5, the day before leaving for South America, Pope Leo will celebrate a morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the cardinals and bishops who have died during the past year.
Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
