For the first time in several years, Pope Francis led the Eucharistic procession from the basilica of St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major on June 2.
The Pontiff was not the principal celebrant at the Mass in St. John Lateran—that role was left to Cardinal Victor Fernandez. Nor did he carry the monstrance through the streets of Rome; that was done by Bishop Baldassare Reina. But the Pope presided at the Mass and spoke at both basilicas.
As Courtney Mares pointed out in a CNS report:
Health issues prevented the pope from participating in a public Corpus Christi Mass in Rome in 2023 and 2022, and COVID-19 restrictions limited his celebration to Vatican City in 2021 and 2020.