Skip to content

PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV walks through the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Pope Leo XIV on Holy Thursday returned the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, reviving a papal practice last observed there in 2012 under Benedict XVI.

Departing from Pope Francis’ custom of celebrating the liturgy in prisons or migrant centers, Leo celebrated the rite in the cathedral of Rome and washed the feet of 12 priests of the Diocese of Rome.

Cloudinary Asset

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful at the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

Pope Leo XIV celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

Pope Leo XIV washes the feet of priests at the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

Acolytes process through the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

The Gospel is held aloft at the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

Pope Leo XIV incenses the altar of the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Cloudinary Asset

Pope Leo XIV holds a crucifix aloft at the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

This article was originally published by EWTN News English.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp

EWTN News Staff

The EWTN News Staff is a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Our bureaus are located in Washington, D.C., and Rome. We have sister language agencies in Kenya, Germany, Peru, Brazil, and Italy. You can contact us at contactnews@ewtn.com with questions.

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Cardinal Zuppi meets with Biden to discuss humanitarian work in Ukraine

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi met with President Joe Biden Tuesday evening to discuss the Vatican’s humanitarian efforts in

Secretary of Benedict XVI explains why he destroyed his personal documents

Monsignor Georg Gänswein, the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI for decades, explained that he destroyed the late

Pope Leo sends 80 generators, medicine, food to Ukraine

Vatican aid is headed to hard-hit areas including Fastiv and Kyiv, with distribution organized through parish networks. Pope

‘Seeking Beauty’ travel show with David Henrie premieres at Vatican

The first episode of a new travel show, hosted by Catholic actor and director David Henrie, premiered at

Pope Leo to ‘promote the fundamental role of the family,’ former diocesan colleague says

The city of Chiclayo in Peru erupted with excitement when the news broke that American missionary Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, who pastored their diocese from 2015 to 2023, had been elected as the new successor to St. Peter.

Polish bishops: New allegation that JPII covered up sex abuse based on reports from communist secret police

The Polish Bishops’ Conference says that “further archival research” is needed to fairly assess a new allegation, based

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNVatican.com