Pope Francis did not follow the Corpus Christi procession

Pope Francis at St. John Lateran Basilica, June 19, 2014.

On Thursday, June 19, the Feast of Corpus Christi, at the conclusion of the Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Pope Francis decided not to follow the procession with the Blessed Sacrament that ended at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.  Usually the Pope, in an open vehicle, precedes the faithful who follow the Blessed Sacrament for the entire length of the Via Merulana.  The Corpus Christi procession was therefore led by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, whereas the Pope rode in a closed vehicle directly to the point of arrival so as to give Solemn Benediction there.

Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Press Office of the Holy See, explained that the Supreme Pontiff preferred not to follow the procession so as to conserve his energies “with a view to his upcoming engagements”, his pastoral visit to the Italian Diocese of Cassano in Calabria on June 21.  Besides, he added, the Pope prefers to avoid riding that distance in an open vehicle “so that, in keeping with the spirit of the ceremony, the attention of the faithful might remain concentrated on the Blessed Sacrament exposed and carried in procession.”  —The last-mentioned reason greatly perplexed many Romans. 

Benedict XVI had the custom of leading the procession on an elevated platform installed on a vehicle, while kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.  This is not the first time that Pope Francis has changed his program at the last minute in order to conserve his energies.  Last May, as his trip to the Holy Land approached, he canceled several appointments, one of them a visit to the Roman Sanctuary of Divine Love.

(Sources:  apic/imedia/zenit – DICI no. 298 dated July 4, 2014)