Vatican City, 30 October, 2025 / 1:05 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate All Souls’ Day with Mass for the faithful departed at Rome’s largest cemetery as well as a Mass for the soul of the late Pope Francis and deceased cardinals the following day.
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo will offer Mass at Campo Verano Cemetery near the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m., continuing the practice of Pope Francis, who made a point of visiting a cemetery each year on All Souls’ Day.
On Monday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m. Leo will also offer Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, who died in April, and for the bishops and cardinals who have died over the past year, following a long papal custom of commemorating deceased Church leaders at the beginning of November, a month the Church devotes to praying for the dead.
All Souls’ Day, observed annually on Nov. 2, is a day of prayer for the souls of all who have died, especially those believed to be in purgatory, undergoing final purification before entering the presence of God. The Church encourages the faithful to offer prayers, sacrifices, and Masses for the souls in purgatory.
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, offered All Souls’ Day Mass in the Campo Verano cemetery for the first three years of his papacy before choosing to pray at other cemeteries in and around Rome, including in the Roman catacombs, at a cemetery for American personnel killed in World War II, and at a cemetery for unborn babies.
