All Souls' Day: Leo XIV at Verano cemetery, three weeks after his operation

The day after All Saints' Day, the Catholic Church remembers all its dead. On Monday 2 November, Pope Leo XIV is due to preside at 4pm over the Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at the Verano cemetery in Rome, according to the programme published at the end of October by the Holy See's Office of Liturgical Celebrations.

The Pope announced it himself on Sunday, after the All Saints' Day Angelus, inviting the faithful to pray for the dead, and especially for those whom no one remembers any more.

Holiness "not reserved for a few"

In his meditation on 1 November, Leo XIV stressed ordinary holiness, that of anonymous believers who were never canonised. The pontiff said holiness was not a privilege reserved for a few. He presented the Beatitudes — the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers — as a portrait of these quiet saints, and recalled that God sees the good that we do not see.

After the prayer, the Pope mentioned the beatification in Savannah, in the United States, of Pedro de Corpa and four Franciscan companions killed in 1597. He also praised a humanitarian initiative for civilians in Oleshky, Ukraine, prayed for the victims of war and sent his good wishes to the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, which run until 13 November.

A busy schedule despite convalescence

These public appearances come less than three weeks after the Pope underwent surgery in Rome on 13 October to remove a lung nodule that turned out to be cancerous. On 22 October the Vatican said, on the basis of a medical statement, that the tumour was localised and that no further treatment was needed.

The schedule for the coming days remains packed. On Thursday 5 November at 9am, Leo XIV is due to celebrate at St Peter's the annual Mass for cardinals and bishops who died during the year. Then, from 6 to 17 November, he is expected in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. According to InfoVaticana, the Holy See confirmed the trip after the medical check-ups that followed the operation.

In France, cemeteries take centre stage

In France, All Saints' Day remains the high point of the year in cemeteries. In Paris, the city estimates that more than 200,000 visitors go to its 20 cemeteries around 1 November. The small Calvaire cemetery in Montmartre, created in 1688, opens its gates only on that day.

In Rennes, families had to cope with drought this year: taps in the Est and Nord cemeteries were turned off, watering and cleaning graves was banned, and visitors were encouraged to choose floral arrangements that need no water. A local association offered bereavement listening sessions at the end of October.

What next

After the Verano Mass this afternoon, the Pope will go on to Thursday's celebration for deceased cardinals and bishops, before flying out on Friday to Uruguay, the first stop on his South American trip.