One Bread, One Body

While most of the global church now celebrates it on Sunday (in those places where, like Ascension and Epiphany, it's not a mid-week Holy Day of Obligation), today is the traditional observance of Corpus Christi, one still kept in some Catholic countries.

Though Italy now marks the solemnity at the weekend, its presence on the Vatican calendar today will yet again see the Pope will lead the annual Roman Mass and procession down Via Merulana beginning at 7pm Urb time.

In the meantime, a Latin American custom renewed yesterday is even more colorful... here's the wire caption:

Dancing Devils or "Diablos Danzantes" dance in front of a church after descending to the town of Naiguata in the Venezuelan coastal state of Vargas May 21, 2008. On the eve of the Catholic festival Corpus Christi, the colorful lively devils called by the ringing of bells and beats of the drums descend from a mountain behind the town and run amok before falling upon their knees to pray in front of the church. Every devil decorates his outfit and their masks represent terrifying sea creatures.

...while in Germany, one procession took to sea:

PHOTOS: Reuters(1,2); AFP/Getty(3)

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