Leo XIV, in his first Corpus: "Today there are entire peoples humiliated by the greed of others"

Rome.- The Pope Leo XIV presided over his first 'Corpus Christi' this Sunday in Rome since his election and, in his homily, denounced the "indifferent arrogance" of the world's rich in the face of "entire peoples humiliated by the greed of others." "Today, instead of the crowds that appear in the Gospel, there are entire peoples, humiliated by the greed of others even more than by hunger itself," lamented the American pontiff during the mass, celebrated at the doors of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Leo XIV asserted that "before the misery of many" in today's world "the accumulation of a few is a sign of an indifferent arrogance that produces pain and injustice".

"Instead of sharing, opulence wastes the fruits of the earth and the work of man," he warned. The Pope's reflection arose from reviewing the biblical passage of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and, therefore, he assured that for the church this case must be "an urgent criterion of action and service" to share and multiply hope with "everyone". "Strengthened by the food that God gives us, let us bring Jesus to the heart of everyone, because Jesus includes everyone in the work of salvation, inviting each one to participate in his table," he urged. This was the first celebration of Leo XIV of the Corpus Christi feast, much loved in the Italian capital since it was instituted by Pope Urban IV in the remote 1264. The feast was traditionally held on Thursday, but Francis decided in 2017 to move it to Sunday. Furthermore, although in 2024 it returned to San Juan de Letrán, in other years it had preferred to take it to other points in the city and during the pandemic to St. Peter's in the Vatican due to restrictions.

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This year, moreover, Corpus has coincided with the Jubilee, this weekend dedicated to the rulers and administrators of the world. After the Eucharist, Leo XIV will preside over the procession of the Most High to the nearby Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to impart the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.

The feast of Corpus Christi comes from what is known as the "miracle of Bolsena", a city where a priest, on his way to Rome, stopped in 1263 to officiate Mass and, faced with his doubts about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, asked God for a "sign".

Catholic tradition asserts that, unexpectedly, some drops of blood emanated from the consecrated host and fell on the corporal, the cloth that covers the altar.