Pope: 'Keep beautiful witness of Corpus Christi processions alive'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"An expression of popular Eucharistic devotion is found in the processions with the Blessed Sacrament that take place in the streets of many towns and countries; in this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful manifestation of public witness to the faith."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this sentiment during his Wednesday General Audience, recalling that this week the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

The Pope encouraged the faithful to participate in this tradition, recalling that "In the Eucharist we contemplate Jesus, bread broken and given for each one of us."

In his greetings to the faithful, the Pope also offered special words of closeness to priests and religious serving in the Middle East.

"I accompany with my prayer and my blessing your ministry and the hopes of your respective countries."

The Holy Father also greeted the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the members of the Montfortian Family, and the Sisters of Our Lady of the Cenacle, encouraging them "to be a sign of hope for all those who thirst for God, for His truth, and for His peace."