Pope Leo XIV’s calendar through Easter is now set, and it paints a clear picture of how he plans to spend the heart of Lent and Holy Week: close to parish communities, immersed in prayer with the Curia, and leading the Church’s most important liturgies in Rome.
The Pope will combine pastoral visits across the Diocese of Rome with the traditional rhythm of the Lenten Spiritual Exercises and the full cycle of Easter celebrations. It is a schedule that balances local presence with global symbolism.
Five parish visits across Rome
From mid February to mid March, the Bishop of Rome will visit five Roman parishes, most of them in the city’s outer districts. These visits are scheduled on Sundays and are designed to underline his closeness to everyday parish life, not just the ceremonial center of the Vatican.
Most visits will take place in the afternoon, with Mass celebrated at 5:00 pm. One exception stands out. On Sunday, February 22, Pope Leo will visit the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio near Termini Station in the morning, arriving at around 9:00 am.
The full sequence of parish visits unfolds as follows:
- February 15: Our Lady Queen of Peace, Ostia Lido
- March 1: Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Alessandrino
- March 8: Our Lady of the Presentation, Torrevecchia
- March 15: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ponte Mammolo
Each visit reinforces a pattern that has already become familiar in Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate: showing up where people actually live, rather than limiting pastoral contact to headline events.
Lent begins on the Aventine
Lent formally begins for Pope Leo XIV on February 18 with an afternoon Mass at Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill. As tradition dictates, the celebration will be preceded by the Statio and a penitential procession starting from the nearby church of Saint Anselm.
Just days later, from February 22 to 27, the Pope will step back from public engagements to join the Roman Curia for the annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises. These will take place in the Apostolic Palace and are intended as a period of reflection and spiritual renewal ahead of Easter.
Holy Week and the Easter Triduum
The public arc of Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 29, with Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. From there, the focus shifts to the Easter Triduum, the most intense and symbolically rich days of the Church’s year.
On Holy Thursday, April 2, Pope Leo will celebrate the Chrism Mass in the morning at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome.
Good Friday, April 3, centers on the liturgy of the Passion of the Lord, after which the Pope will take part in the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum, one of the most visually powerful moments of the liturgical year.
On Holy Saturday evening, April 4, Pope Leo will celebrate the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, marking the transition from mourning to resurrection hope.
Easter Sunday and Urbi et Orbi
The Easter celebrations conclude on Easter Sunday with Mass in St. Peter’s Square, followed by the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Taken together, the calendar shows a pontificate leaning into presence rather than spectacle. Pope Leo XIV’s Lent and Easter schedule is less about grand gestures and more about steady, visible leadership, rooted in parish life, prayer, and the Church’s oldest traditions.
Calendar of Celebrations presided over by the Holy Father Leo XIV (February – April 2026)
15 February
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Pastoral visit to the parish of “Santa Maria Regina Pacis a Ostia Lida”, 17.00
Holy Mass
18 February
Ash Wednesday
Church of Saint Anselm, 16.30
Statio and penitential procession
Basilica of Saint Sabina, 17.00
Holy Mass with the blessing and imposition of the ashes
22 February
First Sunday of Lent
Pastoral visit to the parish of “Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio”, 9.00
Holy Mass
22 February
Apostolic Palace, 17.00
Beginning of the Spiritual Exercises of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia
27 February
Apostolic Palace, 17.00
Conclusion of the Spiritual Exercises of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia
1 March
Second Sunday of Lent
Pastoral visit to the parish of “Ascensione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo”, 17.00
Holy Mass
8 March
Second Sunday of Lent
Pastoral visit to the parish of “Santa Maria della Presentazione”, 17.00
Holy Mass
15 March
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Pastoral visit to the parish of “Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Ponte Mammolo”, 17.00
Holy Mass
29 March
Palm Sunday: Passion of the Lord
Saint Peter’s Square, 10.00
PAPAL CHAPEL
Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem and Holy Mass
2 April
Holy Thursday
Saint Peter’s Basilica, 9.30
Chrism Mass
2 April
Holy Thursday, “The Lord’s Supper”
Basilica of Saint John Lateran, 17.30
PAPAL CHAPEL
Vespertine Mass
3 April
Good Friday, “Passion of the Lord”
Saint Peter’s Basilica, 17.00
PAPAL CHAPEL
Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
3 April
Good Friday, “Passion of the Lord”
Colosseum, 21.15
Via Crucis – Way of the Cross
4 April
Easter Sunday, “Resurrection of the Lord”
Saint Peter’s Basilica, 21.00
PAPAL CHAPEL
Easter Vigil on the Holy Night
5 April
Easter Sunday, “Resurrection of the Lord”
Saint Peter’s Square, 10.15
PAPAL CHAPEL
Mass of the day
5 April
Easter Sunday, “Resurrection of the Lord”
Central loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica, 12.00
“Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
Vatican City, 3 February 2026