Corpus Christi

The name 'Corpus Christi' is Latin for 'the body of Christ'. Catholics all over the world celebrate this day as a public statement that the bread and wine served at Mass during Communion are the actual body and blood of Christ.

When Pope John Paul II was alive he led an annual Corpus Christi procession from St.Peter's Square in the Vatican to the streets of Rome. Many Catholic countries still celebrate Corpus Christi with processions and a real festival atmosphere.

Corpus Christi is marked by a service originally devised by Thomas Aquinas. It includes five great hymns, including Panis Angelicus.

Click to listen to: Pange Lingua sung in plainchant (3:25 mins)

History: The festival was inspired by the religious experience of St Juliana (1193-1258). This Belgian nun repeatedly dreamed of the Church under a full moon with a black spot. The dream's meaning was revealed to her in a vision by Christ. The Church's calendar of festivals was represented by the moon and the black spot was significant in that it meant that there was no festival to celebrate the holiest element of the Church, the Eucharist. As a result of St. Juliana's dream and vision, Corpus Christi was celebrated in England from 1318 onwards. Corpus Christi plays were staged to mark the occasion.

Such is the significance of Corpus Christi that there are colleges at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and a major city in Texas, USA, that are named Corpus Christi.

Pope Benedict XVI

The Pope's Christmas message concentrated on the 'light' that God shines into the world. Quoting St. John, he said ‘When the light of God shines in us, there can be no shadows.' Benedict addressed the crowd from the balcony of St Peter’s basilica, and the whole of St Peter’s Square was illuminated with bright sunshine!

Addressing the crowd of around 150,000 people, the Pope gave Christmas blessings in 63 languages which started in Italian and ended in Latin. Unusually, he also included a blessing in Mandarin and Guarani, an effort to reach out to people in China and the South American country of Paraguay.

Pope Benedict prayed for peace around the world and called for an end to terrorism. He appealed for 'just and lasting solutions' to be found to end suffering.

To see a video of Pope Benedict's Christmas address in Rome, click here