Pope Francis has not read the homily he had prepared for the Palm Sunday mass, the celebration with which Holy Week opens for Catholics and which brought together 25,000 faithful this morning in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. .
Francis did read, however, the Gospel at the opening of the ceremony, and the blessing of the branches, with a noticeably tired voice. At the end of the mass he also read for a few minutes the prayer intentions that precede the traditional prayer of the Angelus, in which he participated with a slightly more intonated voice. But at the moment when the homily was expected, Bergoglio maintained a prolonged silence, after which he went directly to the creed.
The decision of Francis – who suffered from the flu a little more than three weeks ago and since then has had some after-effects, especially respiratory problems – to not read the homily and leave space for the personal reflection of the parishioners, has caused great surprise because it was completely unexpected. . The Italian media highlights that this is the first time in memory that a Pontiff has not delivered the Palm Sunday homily.
In the celebration of masses, the homily, that is, the priest's sermon commenting on the readings of the day, is not essential. The ceremony contemplates that it can be omitted and replaced precisely by an interval of silence so that the attendees can reflect personally. This is something that happens frequently, particularly in the rites of Holy Week, a time of recollection for Christians. But on an occasion as important as Palm Sunday in the Vatican, which remembers the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, triumphantly welcomed by the crowd that cheered him waving branches and leaves, Francis' silence has been interpreted as a sign that his health condition is delicate.
A few weeks ago, the Vatican announced that Francis had the flu and since then, although he has continued with his agenda without rest, on many occasions he has asked his collaborators to read the speeches that he had prepared, since he gets tired when reading for prolonged periods. of time. Last Wednesday, during the traditional general audience that he holds every week, the Argentine pontiff did not deliver the catechesis that he had prepared and instead a collaborator read the text written by Bergoglio. “I still can't,” said the Pope, referring to the breathing difficulties that he still suffers.
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This Sunday, however, Pope Francis, 87, did not give up reading the prayer intentions of the Angelus, in which he made a brief comment on the political situation in the world. And he also got on the Popemobile, to walk around St. Peter's Square and greet the faithful and the hundreds of priests who had participated in the mass. He has been seen greeting those present smiling, with comments and hand gestures.
In reading the AngelusFrancis, who celebrated 11 years as Pope last March, condemned the “vile terrorist attack” last Friday in Moscow and prayed for the victims and their families. He asked that “the Lord convert the hearts of those who plan, organize and carry out these inhuman actions, which offend God, who commanded: 'Thou shalt not kill.'” He also prayed for Ukraine, “where so many people are without power because of intense attacks on infrastructure, which, in addition to causing death and suffering, carry the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.” And he recalled Gaza, “which is suffering so much” and “those who suffer because of the war” in other parts of the world.
During Holy Week last year, Francisco, who had been hospitalized a few days before due to bronchitis, did not participate in some of the celebrations, such as the Via Crucis that is staged in the Colosseum on the night of Good Friday, due to medical recommendation. because of the cold.
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