Pope Francis to Celebrate All Soul’s Mass at the Teutonic Cemetery

A day after announcing Pope Francis would celebrate Christmas liturgies without the Faithful, the Holy See said he would also celebrate All Soul’s Mass in the same way.

A communiqué from the Holy See Press Office said the Mass will be “strictly private, without the participation of the faithful,” adding that afterwards “the Pope will stop to pray in the cemetery before going to the Vatican Grottoes to remember deceased Pontiffs.”

Like his Christmas Masses, Pope Francis will also celebrate a Mass for deceased cardinals and bishops on November 5th at Saint Peter’s Basilica.

“Like other liturgical celebrations in the coming months, the pope will celebrate the liturgy at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica with a very limited number of faithful in compliance with the protective measures provided and subject to changes due to the current health situation.”

Normally, Pope Francis celebrates All Soul’s Mass at a cemetery in Rome with at least some level of participation by the Faithful.

Last year, Pope Francis celebrated All Soul’s Mass in the Catacombs of Priscilla, known as the regina catacumbarum – known as the “queen of the catacombs.”

The year before that, he celebrated All Soul’s Mass at the Laurentino Cemetery outside the Vatican, dedicated to deceased children and unborn babies.

In 2018, he celebrated All Soul’s Mass at the American military cemetery in Nettuno while on a papal visit to the United States.