(Vatican News) ─ Pope Leo XIV has encouraged the faithful to keep alive the public witness of faith made visible in Eucharistic processions, recalling that this week the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi.
"In the Eucharist, we contemplate Jesus, the bread broken and given for each of us," Pope Leo said in his greeting to Italian-speaking pilgrims at the end of his Wednesday general audience on June 3.
"Processions with the Blessed Sacrament, which take place in the streets of many towns, are an expression of popular Eucharistic devotion; in this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful public manifestation of faith," Pope Leo said.
In the Church's liturgical calendar, the feast of Corpus Christi falls on the Thursday following the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. However, in most U.S. dioceses, the celebration of the solemnity is transferred to the following Sunday so that more people can participate. This year the solemnity will be celebrated June 7.
In his greetings to pilgrims, the pope also offered special words of closeness to priests and religious serving in the Middle East.
"I would like to address a special word to the priests and religious of the Middle East: I accompany your ministry and the hopes of your respective countries with my prayers and my blessing," he said.
The Holy Father also greeted the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, members of the Montfortian Family and the Sisters of Our Lady of the Cenacle, encouraging them "to be a sign of hope for all those who thirst for God, for his truth, and for his peace."
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This story was originally published by Vatican News and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
