Here is Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for Holy Week and Easter 2026 at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate the liturgies for Holy Week and the Easter Triduum for the first time as pope in 2026. Palm Sunday, March 29, will feature the pope celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square, beginning with a large procession involving palms and olive branches, followed by the Angelus prayer. The Vatican expects to distribute 120,000 olive branches during the Palm Sunday Mass. On Holy Thursday, April 2, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in the evening. The Holy Thursday evening Mass at St. John Lateran continues a practice of celebrating at the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome.
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Pope Leo XIV will lead Holy Week and Easter liturgies for the first time as pope, marking one of the Catholic Church's busiest periods.1 3
The schedule spans March 29 to April 6, featuring five Masses and key devotions across Vatican sites.1 3
At 10 a.m., Mass occurs in St. Peter’s Square with a procession of palms, olive branches, and "palmureli" around the obelisk.1 3
The Vatican anticipates distributing 120,000 olive branches; the pope follows with the Angelus.1 3
Chrism Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica blesses oils for the sick, catechumens, and chrism, concelebrated by Rome's clergy.1 3
At 5:30 p.m., Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. John Lateran restores a traditional site, differing from Pope Francis's prison visits.1 3
Passion of the Lord service at 5 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica features a sermon by papal preacher Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap.1 3
Stations of the Cross begins at 9:15 p.m. at the Colosseum.1 3
Easter Vigil Mass starts at 9 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica, the "greatest of solemnities" per the Roman Missal.1 3
It opens in darkness with new fire blessing, paschal candle, candlelit procession, and adult baptisms.1 3
Mass at 10:15 a.m. in flower-decked St. Peter’s Square precedes the "urbi et orbi" blessing from the basilica's balcony.1 3
Dutch flowers include 65,000 tulips/daffodils, 7,800 roses/other blooms, azaleas, and foliage in a 40-year tradition.1 3
Known as "Monday of the Angel," the pope recites Regina Caeli at noon from the Apostolic Palace window.1 3
Investigate the theological significance of Holy Week liturgies
Holy Week liturgies form the liturgical summit of the Church's year, immersing the faithful in the Paschal Mystery of Christ's Passion, Death, Resurrection, and glorification. They re-present salvation history, enabling believers to participate in Christ's redemptive work through ritual commemoration, from the messianic entry on Palm Sunday to the Easter Vigil's triumphant proclamation.
Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, opens Holy Week by uniting "the royal splendour of Christ with the proclamation of his Passion." The procession with blessed palms or olive branches recalls Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, manifesting the kingdom the Messiah accomplishes through his Paschal Mystery.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, or "Passion Sunday", which unites the royal splendour of Christ with the proclamation of his Passion. The procession, commemorating Christ's messianic entry into Jerusalem, is joyous and popular in character.
Theologically, this liturgy emphasizes Christ's kingship amid suffering. Palms are not mere amulets or superstitious objects but "witness[es] to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory," directing devotion toward participatory worship rather than private use. Historically, the rite evolved from ancient Passion readings to include the palm procession by the 10th-13th centuries, blending Roman commemoration of the Passion with Jerusalem's entry narrative. This dual focus prepares the faithful for the Triduum, highlighting humility and triumph intertwined.
The evening Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, celebrating the Eucharist's institution as a "sacramental prologue" to the Passion. It commemorates Christ washing the disciples' feet, mandatum (commandment of love), and the Last Supper, where Jesus institutes the sacrament perpetuating his sacrifice.
Holy Thursday is described in the liturgy as "the day of the Eucharist", in memory of the day when "Jesus Christ, our Lord, gave the mystery of his body and blood for his disciples to celebrate."
This liturgy underscores the Eucharist as the Church's lifeblood, molding her until Christ's return. Ancillary rites like chrism Mass and penance reconciliation emphasize preparation for Easter, evoking joyful reunion in the Liturgy's anniversary. The Triduum's structure positions Holy Thursday as ritual dimension of the Paschal Mystery, looking to the Cross while anticipating Resurrection.
Good Friday centers on the Passion narrative and Cross veneration, revealing the Father's mercy through Christ's sacrifice. No Mass is celebrated; instead, the liturgy features the Word, intercessions, Cross adoration, and Holy Communion from Thursday's reservation, emphasizing the paschal fast.
Good Friday is marked by the Passion account and by contemplation of the Cross, in which the Father's mercy is fully revealed... the Church puts the adoration of the Cross at the centre of the Good Friday liturgy, not as a symbol of death but as a source of authentic life.
Theologically, it confronts sin's cost, ransoming humanity "with the precious blood of Christ," urging conversion and gratitude for Redemption. The Cross becomes a "banner of hope," central not only liturgically but ongoingly, as Christ remains present beyond the Eucharist. This day, with its emotional intensity, calls for re-examination of fidelity to Christ's love.
The Easter Vigil, on Holy Saturday evening, is the Triduum's summit and liturgical year's pinnacle, structured in service of light, Liturgy of the Word, Baptism, and Eucharist. It meditates salvation history—from creation to Exodus—prefiguring Baptism and Resurrection.
The order for the Easter Vigil... after the service of light and the Easter proclamation... Holy Church meditates on the wonderful works that the Lord God wrought for his people from the earliest times... to the moment when, together with those new members reborn in baptism, she is called to the table prepared by the Lord.
Old Testament readings proclaim God's deeds, culminating in paschal themes, while the Vigil re-lives salvation "in the 'today' of her liturgy," fostering spiritual understanding. Baptismal rites recall water's symbolism in salvation events, enacting new birth in Christ's Resurrection. This Vigil avoids alteration, preserving its paschal orientation.
The Triduum—Holy Thursday evening through Easter Sunday Vespers—culminates the liturgical year, with Holy Week from Palm Sunday commemorating Christ's final days. Liturgies harmonize popular piety with liturgy, re-presenting the Paschal Mystery as historical reality and ecclesial participation. They demand catechesis to grasp nuances, like palms' faith-witness or Cross's life-source, countering superstition. Divergences, such as historical rite evolutions, yield to post-conciliar norms prioritizing Triduum unity.
Holy Week liturgies theologically unveil the Paschal Mystery's depths: kingship in suffering (Palm Sunday), Eucharistic institution (Holy Thursday), redemptive Cross (Good Friday), and Resurrection's dawn (Easter Vigil). United in salvation history's re-presentation, they invite conversion, gratitude, and sacramental life, as the Church's "greatest and most noble" solemnities.