Pope Benedict XVI to lead Corpus Christi procession through Rome

(13 June 2006) : Pope Benedict XVI will lead the traditional Eucharistic procession through the streets of Rome on the feast of Corpus Christi, which is celebrated in Italy on Thursday, June 15. The Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the basilica of St. John Lateran at 7 in the evening. Immediately following the Mass he will board a vehicle on which a monstrance will be displayed for the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament. This vehicle will lead the way down the Via Merulana to the basilica of St. Mary Major, with hundreds of pilgrims following, praying and singing hymns. At St. Mary Major the Pope will offer Benediction, concluding the Corpus Christi observance. The residents along the Via Merulana will display candles in their windows and doors. The solemnity of Corpus Christi, dedicated to the mystery of the Eucharist, concludes the cycle of feasts following Easter. The feast day was first officially celebrated at Liege in Belgium in 1246, and extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. In Italy the traditional feast dates back to the 15th century, and the route of the annual procession was set in the 16th century. The procession through Rome was abandoned in 1870, after Italian forces took Rome from the papacy. But Pope John Paul II revived the tradition in 1979. This year the date is fixed by the Vatican as the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which in turn is the Sunday after Pentecost.