This year, Pope Francis led his first procession through Rome. A few days later, history was being made thousands of miles away, in the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia. For the first time in 95 years, the Russian faithful were allowed to celebrate the religious feast of Corpus Christi by taking the blessed Host on a three kilometer journey between the Catholic churches of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Catherine of Alexandria. The last Corpus Christi procession had taken place back in 1918. Since then, political and social upheaval forbade all religious festivals and rituals, ending a centuries long tradition common to both the Eastern and the Western Churches. The faithful were only allowed to gather processions within their churches, but were strictly prevented from taking them to the streets. The historic event, which took place on June 2nd, was attended by many, including members of religious orders, fraternities and numerous children, all escorted through the city by the police.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:30:36 +0000
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