Christian World | Pope Leo XIV, celebrating All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's Verano Cemetery, prayed for those mourning war dead and called the Beatitudes the path to full life

ACW | November 2, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV said on Monday at Rome's Verano Cemetery that faith in Christ means "our bond with the faithful departed is not broken, but transformed," Vatican News reported.

The pope celebrated Mass there for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, known as All Souls' Day, and placed flowers on one of the cemetery's oldest tombs, according to Vatican News, the Holy See's official news service.

He linked the day to the previous day's Solemnity of All Saints, praying that the holiness the saints enjoy might embrace all the departed. He called the Beatitudes "a self-portrait of Jesus, which He Himself offers to His disciples."

The Beatitudes "are the path to a full and fulfilled life—both now and in eternity," Leo said. He prayed in particular for people mourning loved ones lost to "the senseless violence of war," asking that their tears move those in power to stop the fighting.

He also recalled the verse St. Francis of Assisi added to his Canticle of the Creatures, which calls death a sister and blesses those who die doing God's will.

Background: On Sunday, in his All Saints' Day Angelus, Pope Leo said holiness is a calling for everyone; read ACW's report.

Why it matters: On the day Catholics worldwide remember their dead, the pope urged those with power to respond to the grief of families who lost loved ones in war and to halt the fighting, according to Vatican News.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Vatican News — On All Souls' Day, Pope Leo says Beatitudes are the path to full life

Photo: Vatican Media