Pope Leo XIV Leads Mass for Deceased Cardinals
The memorial Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica prayed for seven cardinals and 136 bishops who died over the past year.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Catholicism
Pope Leo XIV presided over a memorial Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica on Thursday, November 5, 2026, praying for seven cardinals and 136 bishops who died between October 2025 and October 2026. Several bishops and cardinals attended the celebration, including Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle and Leonardo Sandri, Dean and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals.
Why it matters
Praying for the dead is one of the Church's fundamental duties, and the Mass gathered the Church's leadership to honor clergy lost over the past year. The liturgy offered a formal moment of remembrance for the College of Cardinals and the wider episcopate.
The Mass prayed for seven cardinals and 136 bishops who died between October 2025 and October 2026. The count covers one year of deaths within the Church's leadership, though the extraction does not detail individual causes or names.
The players
Pope Leo XIV
The reigning pontiff of the Catholic Church, who presided over the memorial Mass and delivered the homily on hope in the Resurrection.
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle
A cardinal serving as Dean of the College of Cardinals, who was at the altar during the Eucharistic Prayer.
Leonardo Sandri
A cardinal serving as Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, who was at the altar during the Eucharistic Prayer.
The details
The homily centered on the words of Saint Monica to her sons Augustine and Navigius, while the first reading from the Second Book of Maccabees was proclaimed in French and the Gospel from John in Italian. The Prayer of the Faithful included intercessions for those with civil and social responsibilities as well as for all the deceased.
Timeline
October 2025: start of the period in which the cardinals and bishops died.
End of October 2026: end of that period.
November 5, 2026: Pope Leo XIV presided over the memorial Mass.
Season Trajectory
The Mass follows a long-standing practice of intercession for the dead rooted in Second Book of Maccabees 12:43-46, applied here to the Church's recently deceased cardinals and bishops. It situates a single liturgical act within a continuous scriptural tradition rather than a new initiative.
The Mass is a liturgical event and does not alter Church teaching or practice for everyday parishioners. Readers interested in the Church's tradition of praying for deceased clergy can follow the liturgical calendar at their local parish.
The takeaway
Praying for the dead remains one of the Church's core duties, and a memorial Mass like this one shows how that practice is applied to its own leadership. Readers can reflect on the tradition's scriptural roots in the Second Book of Maccabees.
Further reading
Explore more on Catholicism for background on the Church's traditions of prayer for the dead.
