Homily of Pope Leo XIV at the Mass for Pope Francis and the Deceased Cardinals and Bishops

In a moving Eucharistic celebration presided over in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV offered Holy Mass today for the repose of the souls of the late Roman Pontiff Francis and the cardinals and bishops who died during the year. This liturgy, framed within the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and the context of the Jubilee Year, marks the first time the new Pontiff has presided over this traditional rite. With a tone of profound Christian hope, Leo XIV invited the faithful to contemplate death not as an absolute end, but as a step toward resurrection, illuminated by the encounter with the risen Christ.

The homily, delivered in Italian and rich in biblical references, focuses on the Gospel of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35), presented as an icon of the Jubilee pilgrimage. The Pope emphasized how violent death, disfigured by sin, breeds despair, but Christ, through his suffering and resurrection, transforms it into a “sister” softened by love. This celebration acquires a distinctive flavor thanks to the Jubilee, emphasizing the Easter hope that transcends mere human expectation.

Leo XIV fondly remembered Pope Francis, who died after opening the Holy Door and blessing the world at Easter, and extended his prayers for the pastors who “led many to righteousness” (Dn 12:3). Invoking the Canticle of the Creatures of St. Francis, he affirmed that, thanks to Christ, we can praise even “sister bodily death.” Cemeteries, he explained, are not “necropolises” but “dormitories” awaiting the resurrection, quoting Psalm 4.

This mass not only honors the deceased, but also strengthens the living on their earthly journey, reminding us that faith in the Risen One ignites hearts extinguished by pain.