Holy Week 2026 approaches as the Vatican prepares to celebrate the greatest feast day of Christian history in Rome. It will be the first Holy Week for Pope Leo XIV.
Last year’s celebrations were marked by Pope Francis’s decreasing health conditions. It was on Easter Sunday that he made his final public appearance.
This year, with Pope Leo XIV, there will be two changes compared to last year. First, Holy Thursday will once again take place in the Cathedral of Rome, St. John Lateran, and not in a prison—emphasizing the more liturgical character of the celebration.
The second change is that the Easter Vigil on Saturday will be moved back two hours—it will be celebrated at 9:00pm instead of 7:00pm.
The rest of the Holy Week celebrations will proceed as normal, so the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square will begin at 10:00am in the morning.
Holy Thursday will begin with the traditional Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at 9:30am, and in the afternoon the liturgy will begin at 5:30pm.
Good Friday will also remain the same. The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord will take place in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5pm, and Stations of the Cross will be held at the Colosseum at 9:15pm.
Finally, Pope Leo XIV will preside over the Easter Sunday morning Mass. It will begin at 10:15am, and will be followed by the pope's Urbi et Orbi blessing at 12 o'clock noon.
