Rome: In a solemn atmosphere at Rome’s historic Verano Cemetery, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, reminding the faithful that Christian memory is not confined to the past but illuminated by hope in the Resurrection. “Our faith, rooted in Christ’s Paschal mystery, allows us to view remembrance not merely as nostalgia, but as a promise of life beyond death,” the Pope reflected.
Following the liturgy, the Holy Father visited the crypt of Saint Peter’s Basilica to pray privately for his deceased predecessors, continuing the longstanding papal tradition of interceding for the departed on All Souls’ Day.
The celebration took place within the Verano Cemetery’s grand Quadriportico a place that blends the stillness of death with the eloquence of art. Surrounded by nineteenth-century sculptures symbolizing Meditation, Hope, Charity, and Silence, Pope Leo entered the sacred grounds to celebrate the liturgy, following the example of Pope Francis, who in 2013 began offering All Souls’ Day Masses in Rome’s cemeteries and nearby towns such as Nettuno and Anzio.
Upon arrival at 3:45 p.m., the Pope was greeted with subdued applause by over 2,500 faithfuls gathered among tombs and memorials. His first act was deeply symbolic placing a bouquet of white roses upon an old family grave near the entrance, whispering a brief prayer for all the souls resting in Verano. “Though our loved ones have departed, they remain alive in our hearts,” he said. “Their presence lingers in our memories, in familiar places, and even in the fragrance of our homes.”
The Pope emphasized that the commemoration of the dead should not be seen merely as a moment of sorrow or remembrance, but as a profound act of faith in the Resurrection. “Christian remembrance,” he said, “is not about looking back with grief but forward with trust toward the harbor God has promised us, where death is no more, and joy has no end.”
This hope, he clarified, is not an illusion meant to soften grief, nor simple optimism, but the enduring assurance born from the Resurrection of Christ. “He has conquered death and opened for us the way to the fullness of life.”
Pope Leo reflected on a central truth of Christian faith: that love, not death, has the final word. “Christ is the destination of our journey,” he said. “He leads us home to the place where we are awaited, loved, and redeemed.” Eternal life, he explained, is not an abstract promise but a reunion of love: the love that created us, saved us, and binds us forever to God and to those who have gone before us.
“Love conquers death,” he affirmed. “If we walk together in charity, our lives themselves become a living prayer a bridge that connects us with the departed and prepares us for the joy of meeting them again in eternity.”
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo urged the faithful to anchor their hearts in hope: “Let us fix our eyes on the Risen Christ and trust that our loved ones rest in His light. The Lord will wipe away every tear; He awaits us at the end of our earthly journey, where we shall rejoice together in His eternal embrace.”
As twilight fell over the cypresses of Verano, the Pope’s blessing marked the end of the ceremony. The faithful lingered among the graves some in quiet prayer, others laying flowers, and many holding onto the words that spoke of faith stronger than death.
Later that evening, Pope Leo descended into the crypt beneath Saint Peter’s Basilica, where he prayed in silence for the repose of the souls of the Popes who preceded him a gesture uniting past and present, sorrow and hope, earth and eternity.