Pope Leo XIV at Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Basilica of St. John Lteran

 

Pope

• holy week
• Pope Leo XIV
• Vatican
• priests
• jesus
• charity
• love

Pope Leo: 'We are called to serve the People of God with our whole lives'

Celebrating the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening in the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Leo XIV tells his brother priests that they are to serve the Lord by giving all of their lives to the People of God, and stresses that in this time of great brutality around the world, we, too, are to kneel alongside the oppressed and all in need.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“In this world, and particularly in those places where evil abounds, Jesus loves definitively — forever, and with His whole being.”

Pope Leo XIV gave this powerful reminder on Holy Thursday evening during the Mass in Coena Domini at the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran.

READ POPE LEO'S FULL HOMILY HERE

In his homily, the Pope recalled that the evening’s solemn liturgy marks their entry into the Holy Triduum of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. 

The Lord kneels to wash each one of us

“Out of love,” Pope Leo emphasized as he reflected on the Lord’s washing of His Apostles' feet, “the Lord kneels to wash each one of us, and His divine gift transforms us.”

What the Lord shows us, in taking the water, the basin and towel, he noted, is "far more than a moral example," but is His entrusting to us "His very way of life," 

He stressed that the washing of the feet is a gesture that encapsulates the revelation of God.

By Jesus taking on the condition of a servant, the Holy Father noted, He reveals the Father’s glory, "overturning the worldly standards that so often distort our conscience."

'We are called to serve the People of God with our whole lives'

Pope Leo quoted Benedict XVI, who in his 2008 Homily for the Mass of the Lord's Supper, suggested that we, like Peter who at first resisted Jesus’ initiative, too must learn repeatedly that God’s greatness is different from our idea of greatness.

Benedict, Leo said, acknowledged that we are always tempted to seek a God who “serves” us, or grants us victory in some way, with us often failing to perceive that God does indeed serve us through the gratuitous and humble gesture of washing feet.

As the Pope reflected on the Lord's washing of the feet and the institution of the Eucharist with the breaking of the bread, he reminded that Jesus' gesture shows Him giving all of Himself, as priests are called to do with their whole being.

"Beloved brothers in the priesthood," the Pope would go on to say, "we are called to serve the People of God with our whole lives."

"Through Bishops and priests, constituted as priests of the New Covenant, according to the Lord’s command," the Pope said, "there is made present the sign of His charity towards the whole People of God."

Lord's love precedes our goodness

The Holy Father reminded that the Lord’s love precedes our own goodness or purity.

"He loves us first, and in that love, he forgives and restores us," Pope Leo said, stressing, "His love is not a reward for our acceptance of His mercy; instead, He loves us, and therefore cleanses us, thereby enabling us to respond to His love."

The Pope called on priests to learn from Jesus this reciprocal service, Who, he reminded, "does not ask us to repay Him, but to share His gift among ourselves."

He told priests that the necessary condition for serving as the Lord did, is for priests to allow themselves to be served by the Lord, for Christ said, "Unless you accept me as your servant, you cannot truly believe in me or follow me as Lord."  

As humanity is brought to its knees

In Him, God, the Pope said, has given us an example, on how not to dominate, but to liberate, and not of how to destroy life, but to give it.

"As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed." 

In this way, he said, we seek to follow the Lord’s example, who has offered the perfect self-gift of Himself.

Thus, the Pope insisted, Holy Thursday is a day of fervent gratitude and authentic fraternity.  "May this evening’s Eucharistic adoration, in every parish and community, be a time to contemplate Jesus’ gesture, kneeling as he did, and to ask for the strength to imitate His service with the same love."

Continuing tradition

Continuing the tradition of Christ, Pope Leo during the Mass washed the feet of twelve priests.

The priests were Fr. Andrea Alessi, Fr. Gabriele Di Menno Di Bucchianico, Fr. Renzo Chiesa, Fr. Francesco Melone, Fr. Clody Merfalen, Fr. Federico Pelosio, Fr. Marco Petrolo, Fr. Pietro Hieu Nguyen Huai, Fr. Matteo Renzi, Fr. Giuseppe Terranova, Fr. Simone Troilo, and Fr. Enrico Maria Trusiani, eleven of whom were ordained by Pope Leo last year. Fr. Chiesa was the twelfth, who was not ordained by Pope Leo, but is spiritual director of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary.

Pope Leo in prayer before Blessed Sacrament in the place of repose (@Vatican Media)

At the end of the liturgy, the Pope carried the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose, in the Chapel of Saint Francis

At Chrism Mass, all priests called "friends of the Lord" and were thanked for their ministry

 

Thousands of priests joined Pope Leo XIV for the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica  (@Vatican Media)

Vatican

• priests
• Deacon
• seminarians
• jesus
• dicastery
• holy week

Cardinal You Heung-sik calls all priests 'friends of the Lord'

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, pens a letter to all priests, deacons, and seminarians throughout the world for Holy Thursday, thanking them for bringing Christ close to His people through their ministry.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"Thank you for your daily fidelity, often silent and hidden. Thank you for your 'yes,' renewed each day, even amid hardships, loneliness, and misunderstandings. Thank you because, through your ministry, Christ continues to draw near to His people, to heal, to forgive, and to nourish them."

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, along with Dicastery's Secretary, Archbishop Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli, expressed this appreciation in a letter sent to priests, deacons, and seminarians for Holy Thursday.

As the Church commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood, Cardinal You said they wished "to reach all of you, in every part of the world, with a thought of profound gratitude, fraternal affection, and sincere encouragement."

Priests are friends of the Lord

He recalled that the Church contemplates the Lord Jesus, who, washed out of love the feet of the disciples and gives Himself in the breaking of bread, saying that "from this love, our vocation is born, and to this love we are continually called to conform our entire life."

Cardinal You thanked priests for their immense love and friendship with the Lord.

"The Holy Father Leo XIV, during the Holy Year of Hope," he recalled, "reminded us that 'the priest is a friend of the Lord, called to a personal and trusting relationship with Him, nourished by the Word, the celebration of the Sacraments, and daily prayer," and that friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of the ordained ministry.'"

With this in mind, the Cardinal reminded priests that being a priest is not merely a role to be performed, but a gift to be safeguarded with a grateful heart and filled with wonder.

He added that priests are not defined simply by what they do, as much as by "the infinite love with which Christ loves us."

Eucharist is the source and summit of our existence

In the letter, the Cardinal reflected on priestly sacrifice and service.

Sacrifice, in its deepest truth, he clarified, is not first of all renunciation but a gift. "It is," he said, "offering one’s life so that it may be wholly oriented to the love of God and of our brothers and sisters."

"We are called to live as men given over, consecrated, who find in the Eucharist the source and summit of our existence," he continued. "It is at the altar that we allow ourselves to be conformed to Christ, receiving the strength to accompany, to forgive, and to console."

Service, he explained, is the concrete form of this love.

The final recommendation Cardinal You offered priests is to not be discouraged by the difficulties of our time. "Even when the soil seems barren and the seed struggles to grow, the Lord continues to act," he reassured. "He has chosen us, He has consecrated us, and He never abandons us."

"Therefore," he said, "be priests with open hearts, capable of closeness, listening, and compassion; men of communion, credible signs of a synodal and missionary Church; joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even when this entails sacrifice."

Safeguard the joy of your calling

Cardinal You also thanked all permanent deacons, who, "through their generous and discreet service, make visible the charity of Christ the Servant."

The Cardinal Prefect insisted that the ministry of deacons is "precious and necessary for the life of the Church, today more than ever."

And finally, he turned to all seminarians preparing for the priesthood.

"Do not be afraid," the Cardinal encouraged, "to give your entire life to the Lord."

He urged all seminarians to safeguard the joy of their calling and allow themselves to be formed each day by His love, for the Church needs their authenticity, enthusiasm, and faith.

Finally, the Prefect and Secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy concluded by entrusting all priests, deacons, and seminarians to the Blessed Mother, and wishing them a fruitful Holy Triduum in deep union with the Lord Jesus

Pope Leo XIV presides at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday Morning

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• mass
• priests
• bishops
• laity

Pope at Chrism Mass: Priests must spread Christ’s peace where death reigns

At the Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV invites priests, bishops, and all Christians to embrace their challenges with trust in God and “spread the fragrance of Christ where the stench of death reigns.”

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV presided at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday in St. Peter’s Basilica, joined by hundreds of bishops and priests who renewed the promises they made at their ordination.

In his first homily for the Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome, the Pope reflected on the mission to which God calls every Christian, which he said is the very same mission as that of Jesus.

“Each of us takes part in it according to our own vocation in a deeply personal obedience to the voice of the Spirit, yet never without others, never neglecting or breaking communion!” he said.

Ahead of the Easter Triduum, which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper later on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo said the culmination of the Christian liturgical year has the power to transform human pride, heal wounds, reconcile us, and gather us together.

Pope Leo celebrates Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday   (@Vatican Media)

The Holy Father went on to reflect on three aspects of the Christian mission: detachment, encounter, and the possibility of misunderstanding and rejection.

As members of Christ’s Body, Christians—and especially ordained ministers—are sent out in service of His people, which requires us to leave behind attachments that are familiar and certain so that we can venture into something new.

“There is no mission without reconciliation with our past, with the gifts and limitations of the upbringing we have received,” he said. “But, at the same time, there is no peace without setting out, no awareness without detachment, no joy without risk.”

In self-emptying, we discover a fundamental secret of mission, which is that everything we let go of is given back to us multiplied in ways we cannot imagine.

Pope Leo XIV then spoke about “the law of encounter,” which he said has often been distorted historically by a desire for domination.

“It is now a priority to remember that neither in the pastoral sphere nor in the social and political spheres can good come from abuse of power,” he said.

Many great missionaries have borne witness, he said, to “quiet, unobtrusive approaches, whose method is the sharing of life, selfless service, the renunciation of any calculated strategy, dialogue and respect.”

The Holy Spirit makes Jesus present to His priests, working harder and better than they do and teaching them to welcome and follow Christ, he said.

“To establish this harmony with the transcendent,” he said, “we must go where we are sent with simplicity, respecting the mystery that every person and every community carry within them.”

Christians are guests, wherever they are, added the Pope, noting that in places where secularization has taken hold, we must learn to learn ways to communicate the Gospel of Jesus effectively.

Pope Leo then turned to the possibility of being misunderstood or rejected, which he said is the most radical element of the Christian mission.

Accepting the cross is an essential part of mission and has the power to bring true transformation to society and ourselves.

“The imperialist occupation of the world is thus disrupted from within; the violence that until now has been the law is unmasked,” he said. “The poor, imprisoned, rejected Messiah descends into the darkness of death, yet in so doing he brings a new creation to light.”

Even when we experience failure or our own shortcomings, we must learn to trust that God’s grace will help us to face unforeseen circumstances, as the saints have before us.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to overcome any sense of powerlessness or fear as we proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection.

“In this dark hour of history,” he said, “it has pleased God to send us to spread the fragrance of Christ where the stench of death reigns. Let us renew our ‘yes’ to this mission that calls for unity and brings peace.”

Pope Leo XIV will wash the feet of 12 Priests

 

The priests ordained last year by Pope Leo XIV in Saint Peter’s Basilica  (@Vatican Media)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• holy week
• Basilica di San Pietro
• dioceses
• Rome

Pope Leo to wash the feet of 12 Roman priests on Holy Thursday

During the Mass "in Coena Domini" on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo will wash the feet of twelve priests - eleven of whom he ordained last year.

Vatican News

On Holy Thursday, Pope Leo XIV is set to wash the feet of twelve priests during the Mass in Coena Domini. The liturgy will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

The Diocese of Rome issued a statement announcing the names of the 12 priests: Fr. Andrea Alessi, Fr. Gabriele Di Menno Di Bucchianico, Fr. Renzo Chiesa, Fr. Francesco Melone, Fr. Clody Merfalen, Fr. Federico Pelosio, Fr. Marco Petrolo, Fr. Pietro Hieu Nguyen Huai, Fr. Matteo Renzi, Fr. Giuseppe Terranova, Fr. Simone Troilo, and Fr. Enrico Maria Trusiani.

Eleven of them were ordained last year by Pope Leo XIV. Fr. Renzo Chiesa, on the other hand, is the spiritual director of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary.

At the end of the liturgy, the Pope will carry the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose, in the Chapel of Saint Francis.

The Holy Thursday Chrism Mass at Rome, prayers for Priests

 

Pope

• holy week
• Pope Francis
• priests
• clericalism
• faith

Pope at Chrism Mass: Pray for the joy of priests

Pope Francis calls for praying for the joy of priests during the homily he prepared for the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, which was read by Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, President Emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"For us priests, the Jubilee year thus represents a specific summons to a new beginning on our path of conversion." 

Pope Francis stressed this in his homily on Holy Thursday morning during the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Cardinal Domenico Calcagno was chosen by the Pope as his delegate to preside over the Mass and read the Holy Father's homily.

Cardinal Domenico Calcagno presides over Chrism Mass and reads Pope Francis' homily   (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Daily closeness

Read also

16/04/2025

Pope welcomes Gemelli hospital physicians and staff to the Vatican

In the homily, the Pope underscored that "we priests have our own history."  On Holy Thursday, when we renew the promises made at our ordination, the Pope recalled.

"If only we let Him teach us, our ministry," he marveled, "becomes one of hope, because in each of our stories God opens a jubilee: a time and an oasis of grace." 

'I am making all things new'

For priests, he continued, the Jubilee year is an important moment for us to begin again. 

As pilgrims of hope, he said, "We are called to leave clericalism behind and to become heralds of hope."  

Chrism Mass in the Vatican (Vatican Media)

Changing hearts

The shepherd who loves his people, the Pope marveled, "does not seek consensus and approval at any cost," reminding that "the fidelity of love changes hearts." 

Thus, he encouraged, "We are gathered here, dear brothers, to make our own and to repeat that 'Amen.'”  

"The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which we are about to relive," he emphasized, "are the soil that solidly sustains the Church and, within her, our priestly ministry."

Our first home is God's Word

Each priest, the Pope noted, has a long-standing relationship with the Word of God. "We put it at the service of others," he said, "only when the Bible remains our first home. " 

Within it, he marveled, each of us has some pages that touch us more than others.  "That is beautiful and important!  We also help others to find the pages that touch their lives: such as newlyweds, when they choose the readings for their wedding; or those who are grieving and seek passages to entrust a dear one who has died to the mercy of God and the prayers of the community."  

Chrism Mass in the Vatican (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

More incredible, he suggested, is that there is a page for a vocation, normally at the beginning of each of our journeys. "Whenever we read this page, God still calls us, if only we cherish it and do not allow our love to grow cold."

Lord comforts and is with us

The Holy Father urged those present to remember the Lord's comforting reminder to the faithful: 'See, I am making all things new.'

In addition, the Pope reminded that the Holy Spirit continues to be the silent protagonist of priestly service.  "The people feel His breath," he noted, "when our words become a reality in our lives." 

God's work, not ours

Reminding that the sacred chrism "that we consecrate today seals this mystery of transformation at work in the different stages of Christian life," he urged, "Take care to never grow discouraged, for it is all God’s work." 

With this in mind, he gave them some homework. "Believe! Believe that God did not make a mistake with me!  God never makes mistakes.  

"Let us always remember," he stressed, "the words spoken at our ordination: “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfilment,” adding, "He does."

This, the Holy Father said, "is God’s work, not ours." The Lord, Pope Francis reminded, opens our eyes and lifts the burdens from our shoulders.  

Pope Francis concluded by inviting all members of the faithful, as people of hope, to pray today for the joy of priests.

Chrism Mass in the Vatican (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Pope Francis travels to women's prison in Rome to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass and washing of the feet

POPE

• POPE
• EASTER
• HOLY WEEK
• PRISONS
• POPE FRANCIS
• MASS

Pope on Holy Thursday: 'The Lord never tires of forgiving'

At the Mass of the Lord's Supper at the women's section of Rebibbia prison in Rome, Pope Francis reminds us to never tire of asking the Lord for forgiveness and learning to serve as He did.

By Lisa Zengarini

Continuing his custom of celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in a prison, Pope Francis visited the female section of the Rebibbia correctional facility in Rome on Holy Thursday afternoon.

He presided over Mass and the ritual of the washing of the feet for dozens of inmates, guards, chaplains and officials gathered in an outdoor area of the prison.

In his brief off-the-cuff homily, the Pope focused on two episodes of Jesus’ Last Supper on the eve of His Passion.

The path of service

During the meal, Jesus humbled Himself to wash the feet of the disciples.

By doing so, Pope Francis explained, “He makes us understand what He meant when He said: ‘I did not come to be served, but to serve’.”

That humble gesture, said the Pope, “teaches us the path of service.”

Jesus always forgives

Pope Francis then spoke about the betrayal of Judas, motivated by greed and selfishness. Judas’ story, the Pope said, shows us that the Lord always forgives our sins, and “He only asks that we ask for forgiveness.”

Indeed, he insisted, "Jesus never tires of forgiving: we are the ones who get tired of asking for forgiveness."

“We all have our small or big failures – everyone has their own story. But the Lord always awaits us, with His arms open, and never tires of forgiving.”

Concluding Pope Francis, therefore, encouraged the faithful to ask the Lord for the grace not to tire of imploring His forgiveness, and to make us grow in the vocation to serve.

Washing of the feet of twelve inmates 

READ ALSO

06/03/2024

Pope to celebrate Mass in Rome’s Rebibbia prison on Holy Thursday

Following the homily, Pope Francis washed the feet of twelve women prisoners of different nationalities.

At the conclusion of the Mass, he met with the inmates and staff of the penitentiary and was greeted with farm products produced in the facility, along with a rainbow-colored rosary made with crochet and pearls, two stoles with the image of two welcoming hands, and a sunflower, made by the inmates working in the necklace and sewing workshops in the prison.

The Pope gave the director and staff of Rebibbia a painting of the Madonna he had received as a gift.

Pope Francis' first visit to Rebibbia prison in 2015

Pope Francis has celebrated Holy Thursday Mass at a prison, care facility, or refugee centre since becoming Pope in 2013, while his recent predecessors customarily washed the feet of priests in St. Peter's Basilica or the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

This was his second visit to the Rebibbia complex on this occasion. He first went there in 2015, meeting male and female prisoners and washing the feet of 12 inmates and a toddler.