What is the Urbi et Orbi blessing?

On April 5, 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter mass since his election as leader of the Roman Catholic Church the previous May. After the mass he delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing to the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Although the pope celebrates mass regularly on Sundays, feast days, and many other occasions, the Urbi et Orbi blessing is much rarer, reserved for solemn events in the church’s liturgical calendar.

When and where is the Urbi et Orbi performed?

Specifically, the Urbi et Orbi (Latin: “To the City and to the World”) is delivered on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. As its Latin meaning suggests, it is proclaimed from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (“the City”) and is intended for the global Catholic population (“the World”). And since the pope’s solemn messages are also typically televised and streamed worldwide, the second part of the blessing’s Latin name takes on an especially apt meaning. Having a global audience, the pope usually uses the occasion to deliver a message about world events or call for peace.

Notably, during his Easter blessing Pope Leo alluded to the 2026 Iran War (initiated in February that year by the United States and Israel) by calling for world leaders to lay down their weapons, choose peace, and engage in dialogue. The criticism that his message quickly attracted from U.S. Pres. Donald Trump perhaps only highlighted the level of attention the Urbi at Orbi receives on the global stage.

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There are a few other occasions on which the pope performs the Urbi et Orbi ritual, such as immediately after his election. When a papal conclave concludes, the new pontiff is introduced to the world (again, on the central balcony of St. Peter’s) and then makes his first public address. A new pope’s first words are of his own choosing, but his initial message always includes the formal benediction of the Urbi et Orbi. The blessing has also been delivered to audiences of pilgrims to Rome during Holy Years, which are church celebrations observed for one full year every 25 years.

Some instances of the ritual are truly singular and historic, as in March 2020 when Pope Francis performed an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing in a dark, deserted St. Peter’s Square during the COVID-19 pandemic. (The blessing was called “extraordinary” in this case because it was held outside of the “ordinary,” or standard, church schedule.) Francis chose to perform the ritual to pray for the end of the pandemic and offer hope to people around the world during global lockdowns.

What does the Urbi et Orbi do?

The Urbi et Orbi also has a pastoral function in that it may grant a plenary indulgence (a full remission of punishment for sins already forgiven) to those who receive the blessing, whether in person or through the radio, television, or Internet. To receive the indulgence, a person must perform certain acts within about a week after the blessing; these acts include going to confession, taking Communion, and saying particular prayers for the pope (the Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father; the Hail Mary; and the Glory Be).