This year, Pope Francis will not celebrate Corpus Christi in Rome, but rather in nearby Ostia.
The procession normally begins in the Eternal City at St. John Lateran and concludes at St. Mary Major. The Holy Father is usually present at the beginning and end of the celebration, except for his first year, when he went on foot.
On June 3, the pontiff will begin the ceremony at 6 p.m., local Rome time, in the square of St. Monica Church.
The Corpus Christi tradition did not originate in the early days of Christianity, but in the 13th century. It countered the theory of those who said the Eucharist was a symbol, and that Christ wasn't truly present.
