St. Joseph Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV used his first Palm Sunday Mass to issue a forceful plea for peace, urging an end to war as he reflected on Christ’s Passion.

During his homily opening Holy Week at St. Peter's Square, the pope said the faithful must follow Jesus, as he embraced humanity "even as others raise swords and clubs." 

"We turn our gaze to Jesus, who reveals himself as King of Peace, even as war looms around him," he said March 29. "He remains steadfast in meekness, while others are stirring up violence." 

Pope Leo continued, recounting Jesus' final words to God, saying that in that moment we can see a "crucified humanity." 

"Above all, we hear the painful groans of all those who are oppressed by violence and are victims of war," he said. "Christ, King of Peace, cries out again from his cross: God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!"

In his appeal at the close of the Mass, he went on further to press for peace, especially in the Middle East. He called on prayers for Christians in the Middle East, whose "ordeal challenges all our consciences," as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its fifth week.

"Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s Passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering," he said. "Let us raise our prayer to the Prince of Peace that he may sustain the peoples wounded by war and open concrete paths to reconciliation and peace."

On a sunny and windy day, thousands attended the Mass, which began with a solemn procession of hundreds of people carrying green palm branches, followed by about 60 cardinals and bishops, carrying "palmurelli," pale green palm branches that were woven and braided.

In the center of the square, the procession circled the ancient obelisk, brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula in 37 AD and later erected in St. Peter’s Square, traditionally marking the site of early Christian martyrdom, including that of St. Peter. 

Dressed in red vestments, the color of the Passion, Pope Leo followed, opening Mass underneath the obelisk. After the opening prayer and hymns, the procession made its way through the crowd to the altar in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Palm Sunday marks the solemn beginning of Holy Week, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and leading to his passion, death and resurrection. The liturgy includes the reading of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion, setting the tone for the days leading to Easter.

In closing, the pope ended his Palm Sunday homily recalling the words of the late Bishop Tonino Bello, who was known as a pacifist and social justice advocate. 

"'And grant, finally, that the tears of all the victims of violence and pain will soon be dried up like frost beneath the spring sun,'" the pope said. 

Bishop Bello died in 1993, and Pope Francis recognized him as venerable as his sainthood cause was advanced in 2021. 

Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, on this Palm Sunday, Matthew’s magnificent Gospel of the passion bids us to reflect on the seriousness of sin.

MONACO (CNS) -- Built behind fortresses and perched on precipitous rock, the tiny principality of Monaco has survived centuries of invasions, revolutions and world wars, but now this prestigious Mediterranean haven must reach out and share its faith and its riches, Pope Leo XIV said.

"You are among the few countries in the world to have the Catholic faith as a state religion," he said at the start of his one-day visit March 28 to the world's second smallest independent state, almost five times larger than Vatican City.

Jesus calls Christians to become "a kingdom of brothers and sisters -- a presence that does not cast down but raises up, that does not separate but connects, always ready to protect every human life with love, at any time and in any condition, so that no one is ever excluded from the table of fraternity," he said from a small window of the Prince's Palace to the hundreds of residents and visitors gathered in the huge square below. 

For his first apostolic journey of 2026, Pope Leo chose Monaco -- a glitzy, glamorous resort on the French Riviera famous for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Monte Carlo Casino. With stringent rules for residency, it is home to millionaires, and it has the highest nominal GDP per capita in the world.

Scheduled during Lent and almost three weeks before an intense trip to Africa, the pope's 10-hour trip to this center of luxury reflected a journey calling for purification and conversion.

With two speeches and two homilies spoken in fluent French, Pope Leo's strongest words came at the end, during Mass in the Louis II Stadium.

Reflecting on the day's Gospel reading of the decision of the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus after he brought Lazarus back to life, Pope Leo noted how even today so many "plots are devised" and justified around the world "to kill the innocent."

But just as Jesus gave Lazarus new life, God, too, can rescue dead, deceived or hardened hearts with his mercy, he said. 

Power becomes dominion or wealth becomes greed or beauty becomes vanity, he said, when people "gorge themselves" and become enslaved to "the great and wonderful things of this earth," leaving their neighbor "in misery and sorrow."

The wars staining the earth with blood are "the fruit of the idolatry of power and money," the pope said; peace requires a purified heart and the ability to see "others as brothers and sisters to be protected, not enemies to be defeated."

"In the world's prolonged Lent, when evil rages and idolatry makes hearts indifferent, the Lord prepares his Easter," he said. The Risen Christ welcomes the sinner and sustains their pilgrimage and the Church's mission "to give God's life" by giving "our lives to our neighbor."

While the small nation has just under 40,000 residents, another 57,000 people commute daily from France and Italy to work there. Both residents and workers come from more than 150 countries.

Archbishop Dominique-Marie David of Monaco said the church pew is a kind of equalizer where "a millionaire and a maid can be sitting side by side."

"One of the rarest places of authentic social mingling in the principality is in the Christian community," he wrote in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, March 27.

Pope Leo encouraged the faithful to guard against religious practices becoming a mere habit. 

An authentic, "living" faith truly defends all people, protects life at all stages, and it makes sure the "current economic and social model" is equitable, just and marked by solidarity, he told them during a gathering in the immense stone Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception -- the final resting place of Philadelphia-born Princess Grace Kelly and her husband, Prince Rainier III.

The city's narrow, cliff-hugging streets did not hold many sightseers, but the four locations the pope visited were full of enthusiastic, but not raucous, crowds.

He shook hands with scores of young people and catechumens in front of the Church of Sainte Dévote, which honors a young woman martyred in 304 and the patron saint of Monaco. The archdiocese had about 70 catechumens preparing for baptism, first Communion and confirmation this year.

Pope Leo encouraged them to "give everything -- your time, your energy -- to God and to your brothers and sisters." It is only through this complete self-giving, he said, that one finds real joy and meaning in life. 

"The world needs your witness to overcome the errors of our time, face its challenges and, above all, to rediscover the sweet taste of loving God and neighbor," he said. 

"Monaco is a small country, but it can be a great place of solidarity and a beacon of hope," he said. "Incorporate the Gospel into the choices you make at work and in your social and political commitments in order to give a voice to the voiceless, thereby spreading a culture of care."

He told them to look to St. Devota and St. Carlo Acutis, whom the pope canonized last September, for inspiration.

Love gives stability in a world "that seems to be in a hurry, eager for novelty, obsessed with unfettered fluidity," he said.

The world "is marked by an almost compulsive need for constant change, be it in fashions, appearances, relationships, ideas or even the dimensions of the person that are essential to their very identity," he said.

"We must clear the doorway of the heart" of fleeting, ephemeral things, he said, "so that the healthy, life-giving air of grace can return to refresh and revitalize its chambers, and so that the strong wind of the Holy Spirit can once again fill the 'sails' of our existence, propelling us towards true happiness."

Mark Bradford

I was struck by how well Benedict’s words can support the inclusion of persons with disabilities in our parishes within the context of CST’s vision of the common good.

Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, in today’s Gospel, the chief priests and Pharisees unite in a plot to kill Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Palm Sunday procession at the foot of an 85-foot-tall Egyptian obelisk in St. Peter's Square recalls the martyrdom of many early Christians and the fast-thinking foresight of an Italian Renaissance sea captain.

Palm Sunday at the Vatican begins with a procession of young people carrying olive branches and large green palm fronds, followed by clergy holding tall, intricately woven palm leaves. The participants circle the base of the obelisk in the center of the square, while the pope blesses them with holy water.

Starting the ceremony in the center of the square recalls the martyrdom of the early Christians because the 2,000-year-old solid granite obelisk marks the center of a grand arena built in 37 AD by the Roman emperor Caligula. Later, emperors introduced the execution of Christians as a form of entertainment there and St. Peter was among those martyred in the arena. 

To mark the place where many early Christians shed their blood, in 1586 Pope Sixtus V ordered that the same obelisk Caligula brought to Rome from Egypt be erected in the square.

Because the obelisk weighs 327 tons, it took 900 men and 140 horses working 44 winches to move and hoist it into place. Given the difficult and delicate nature of the task, Pope Sixtus forbade onlookers from making any noise as the obelisk was being pulled upright; those who failed to comply would face the death penalty.

According to tradition, Captain Benedetto Bresca, an experienced northern Italian seafarer, was watching in the square that day, and he saw the hemp ropes supporting the obelisk giving way from the excessive strain. 

Defying the pope's orders for absolute silence, Bresca shouted out in his Ligurian dialect, "Aiga ae corde," that is, "water on the ropes" to make them shrink, become stronger and keep them from fraying and snapping. The workers did as they heard and the obelisk did not come crashing to the ground.

Though Bresca was arrested on the spot, Pope Sixtus immediately pardoned him and showed his gratitude by asking him what he would like to have as a reward.

According to legend, Bresca asked that he and his descendants be appointed the official supplier of the pope's palm fronds. His wish was granted and he was allowed to fly the papal naval flag on his boat as it entered the Tiber River when he shipped the palm leaves from the Ligurian coastal city of Sanremo to Rome.

The long tradition of delivering palm fronds from Sanremo to be woven in Rome by Camaldolese nuns ended in the 1970s.

With the help of a palm tree research group, a cooperative in Sanremo revived the tradition in 2003 by supplying "palmurelli," which are palm leaves braided and styled in intricate shapes and patterns, for the Palm Sunday procession.

Other groups in Italy help supply regular palm fronds and tens of thousands of small olive branches for the faithful gathered in the square.

Dr. Kody W. Cooper

"Project Hail Mary" is an imaginative, original plot with likable characters that is meaningful without being preachy or advancing an agenda.

Fr. Damian Ference

Theological speculation can be valuable for Christians because it helps to think deeply about faith and human action and the justice and mercy of God. 

Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jewish leaders attempt to stone Jesus because he claimed to be the Son of God.

Dr. Richard DeClue

Basically, the SSPX and the Vatican’s relationship appears to be going back to square one.