Pope Leo XIV officially opened his first Holy Week on Sunday morning. He led Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican is currently managing an internal schism threat and escalating conflicts across the world. The liturgy began at 10:00 a.m. local time. Cardinals, bishops, and laypeople carried palm fronds in a grand procession.
This year’s ceremonies carry heavy emotional weight for Catholics. The week marks the anniversary of the final public appearances of Pope Francis. The former pontiff suffered a fatal stroke on Easter Monday in 2025. Leo is the first American pope in history. The Chicago-born former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected last May.
Vatican officials anticipated distributing 120,000 olive branches for the Sunday service. The new pontiff is already breaking from his predecessor’s modern practices, according to a detailed report released this weekend. Leo will move the Holy Thursday feet-washing ceremony back to the basilica of St. John Lateran. Pope Francis spent his 12-year pontificate performing the ritual at Rome-area prisons and refugee centers.
Commemoration of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem and Holy Mass with Pope Leo XIV on the Solemnity of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, from St. Peter's Square, Vatican. Live Now online at https://t.co/aMcXaf9keh
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) March 29, 2026
The institutional church faces severe internal pressure. The breakaway Society of St. Pius X recently announced plans to consecrate new bishops without papal consent. The traditionalist group is pushing the Vatican toward a formal schism.
Leo is also addressing extreme geopolitical instability. The Palm Sunday Mass follows his historic one-day visit to Monaco on Saturday. He aggressively condemned the idolatry of power and money driving global conflicts. He specifically addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the escalating U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.