The Vatican reported that 87-year-old Pope Francis had been struggling with bronchitis and flu in recent weeks. He delegated his assistant to read his speeches, but on Sunday his prepared text was not read at all.
It is unusual for a pope to completely skip the homily on such an important event as Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week. On Sunday at St. Peter’s Square Peter, there were regarding 60,000. faithful.
Palm Sunday: The Pope did not read the prepared homily.
The Vatican did not give a reason why the pope skipped the homily. For several minutes, Vatican television only showed the crowd of believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Peter, instead of a closer look at the Pope.
Then a Vatican Radio announcer said the pope had decided not to read the homily. Francis continued the service, reading fragments of the liturgy.
