Cardinal Burke Celebrates Latin Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

“The Mass was preceded by a half-mile procession from the

Basilica of Santi Celso e Giuliano to Saint Peter’s Basilica”.

Oct 2025 : Cardinal Raymond Burke celebrated a special traditional Latin Mass for hundreds of pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Basilica on October 25th — a return to a prior custom, suspended since 2022, of an annual pilgrimage of Catholics devoted to the ancient liturgy

Cardinal Burke celebrated the solemn pontifical Mass, a high Latin Mass said by a bishop, at the Altar of the Chair on the second day of the October 24-26 Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage. The cardinal also celebrated a Latin Mass at the Altar of the Chair for the pilgrimage in 2014.

The Mass was preceded by a half-mile procession from the Basilica of Santi Celso e Giuliano to Saint Peter’s Basilica.

The Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage, in its 14th year, brings people ad Petri Sedem (“to the See of Peter”) to give “testimony of the attachment that binds numerous faithful throughout the whole world to the traditional liturgy”.

The pilgrimage began on the evening of October 24th with vespers in Rome’s Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, presided over by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna. A solemn closing Mass of Christ the King will be celebrated at the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini on the final day of the pilgrimage, October 26th. The details are appended hereunder:

Friday October 24, 2025:

• 18:30 hours: Pontifical vespers in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina presided over by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna

Saturday, October 25, 2025:

• 12:00 hours: Rosary before the Basilica of Santi Celso e Giuliano

• 13:00 hours: Departure of the procession towards Saint Peter’s Basilica

• 14:00 hours: Arrival in Saint Peter’s Square/Checkpoints/and entry into Saint Peter’s Basilica

• 15:00 hours: Pontifical Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke at the altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica

Sunday October 26, 2025:

• 08:30 hours: Mass of thanksgiving of Christ the King in the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini celebrated by canon Antoine Landais

• 11:00 hours: Solemn closing Mass of Christ the King at the Trinita dei pellegrini celebrated by Father Brice Messionnier, Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, parish priest of the Trinity of Pilgrims

• 16:30 hours: Mass of thanksgiving of Christ the King in the church of Sant’Anna in Laterano celebrated by Msgr. Marco Agostini

In 2023 and 2024, the pilgrimage was not able to receive authorization to celebrate the Latin Mass at the Altar of the Chair in Saint Peter’s Basilica from the basilica’s liturgy office, according to organizer Christian Marquant.

Cardinal Burke, a champion of the traditional Latin Mass had met Pope Leo in a private audience on August 22nd.

Each year, from 2012 onward, the representatives of the People “Summorum Pontificum” bring together in Rome faithful, priests and religious from all over the world. Their aim is that of being part of the new evangelization at the rhythm of the extraordinary form of the roman rite, i.e., the Latin and Gregorian Mass, celebrated according to the last edition of the Tridentine Missal published by Pope John XXIII.

During the three-day pilgrimage, its participants have the opportunity of witnessing the eternal youth of the traditional liturgy. Friday, the pilgrims gather in the Basilica of Santa Maria “ad Martyres” (Pantheon), where they assist at solemn Vespers. Saturday, after a time of Eucharistic adoration and a procession throughout the streets of the centre of Rome, a solemn Pontifical Mass is celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica. The pilgrimage ends Sunday, feast of Christ the King with masses of thanksgiving.

Team Maverick