Papal celebration of Corpus Christi moves to Sunday

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ and the Corpus Christi procession on a Sunday – June 18 – and not on the traditional Thursday feast day, which is June 15 this year.

Throughout Italy and in most other countries, the feast was transferred to the following Sunday years ago. The pope celebrating on the Sunday “can strengthen the participation of the faithful in this solemn, public act of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,” said Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal vicar of Rome.

Announcing the change in a letter May 1, the cardinal said he hoped changing the date of the celebration to a non-work day would allow more people to participate in the traditional procession through Rome from the Basilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.