Pope Urges In-Person Sunday Mass, Rejects Virtual Substitutions

During a Vatican address, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to attend Sunday Mass in person, stressing that active Eucharistic participation cannot be replaced by virtual gatherings. He explained the liturgical year as a renewal of Christ’s salvific work and the importance of the Sunday celebration, noting the Dies Domini and the need for an active liturgical assembly. The pope spoke from St. Peter’s Basilica due to summer heat and also expressed solidarity with victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia and gratitude to rescue workers.