TENS of thousands of Catholics will gather Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to hear Pope Francis give Easter Mass and the traditional blessing.
Pope Francis gave Easter Mass with tens of thousands of Catholics in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City before his traditional blessing.
The 87-year-old pope will lead mass starting at 10:00 local time, saying the “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and the World) blessing at noon, with the event being broadcast live around the world.
Easter Sunday marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the culmination of Holy Week, a major part of the Catholic calendar followed by 1.3 billion people.
The pope on Saturday presided over the Easter Vigil at the Vatican in front of some 6,000 people from around the world, a day following a last-minute cancellation of the Good Friday procession. This condition once more raises questions regarding his health.
The pope delivered a 10-minute homily in Italian, speaking without any difficulty and denouncing the world’s “walls of selfishness and indifference.”
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At the end of the two and a half hour service, the Pope showed no signs of fatigue and took time to greet and bless some of the congregants.
In a brief statement on Friday, the Vatican said that to protect his health ahead of tomorrow’s mass and Easter Sunday mass, Pope Francis this evening will follow the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum from the Santa Marta Residence, where he lives.
Health problems
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The last-minute decision raises questions regarding how long Pope Francis can continue to lead the Catholic Church.
A source at the Vatican told AFP on Friday that there were no particular concerns regarding his health and the decision to step down was simply an act of caution.
The Pope has also canceled his participation in the “Via Crucis” in 2023, but this came following he was hospitalized for three days due to bronchitis, and this was announced well in advance. A few weeks later, he underwent hernia surgery.
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Until Friday, the Pope had attended various events throughout the week, but recently he seemed tired and sometimes delegated the speaking role to his colleagues.
Pope Francis, who never takes a vacation, made his final trip in September, to the southern French city of Marseille. In December, he canceled his appearance at the much-anticipated COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Her next itinerary is to Venice on April 28. The Vatican has not confirmed travel plans to Asian and Pacific Ocean countries this summer.
Pope Francis has previously left the door open to resign if he can no longer carry out his duties. This would follow the example of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down.
But in his memoirs published this month, Pope Francis wrote that he had no reason serious enough to make him consider resigning. (AFP/Z-8)
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