PENTECOST MASS WITH CASKET OF BLESSED JOHN XXIII

VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2001 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 3, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Square together with the cardinals.

The celebration, according to a communique from the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, coincides with the solemn transfer of the casket containing the body of Blessed John XXIII, on the 38th anniversary of his death, from the Vatican Grottos to St. Peter's Basilica.

The Blessed's casket will be carried in procession through the Arch of the Bells on the left side of the basilica, and placed next to the altar during the celebration. Afterwards, the entrance procession of the Holy Father and the concelebrants will take place.

At the end of the Mass, after the singing of the "Regina Coeli," the apostolic blessing and the "Ite Missa est," the casket will be transferred in procession through the central door of the basilica and placed before the Altar of the Confession, where it will remain for the entire day for the veneration of the faithful. Following this, the casket will be permanently placed beneath the altar of St. Jerome.

In a briefing for journalists on Thursday, May 31, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, president of the Fabric of St. Peter, and Sandro Benedetti, head of the Technical Office of the Fabric, will explain the procedure for the final placement of the casket of John XXIII.

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