Pope Francis appeared in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, an important event in the Christian calendar.
By LL with AFP
© FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / POOL / AFP
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LPope Francis appeared in St. Peter’s Square for Mass on Palm Sunday, an important event in the Christian calendar marking the start of Holy Week, the day after he was discharged from hospital to treat bronchitis.
Francois, 86, briefly waved to the crowd on Sunday morning as he moved through the square decorated with more than 35,000 plants and flowers. On board his papamobile, he displayed a serious air before celebrating this ceremony, at which he had promised to be present, in front of 30,000 people.
The pontiff left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday after a three-night stay, appearing to be in good shape and in a joking mood. “I’m still alive,” he replied, smiling at the journalists and faithful gathered around the hospital who asked him how he felt.
The leader of 1.3 billion Catholics has suffered from growing health problems for several years, including knee pain that forces him to use a wheelchair and cane.
At Palm Sunday and Easter Masses, he is expected to remain seated while a cardinal conducts the ceremony at the altar. According to the Holy See, this organization was decided before his hospitalization, the Argentine pontiff no longer being able to stand for long periods.
On Sunday, Pope Francis thanked the faithful who prayed for him while he was hospitalized this week for treatment of bronchitis, by leading the Angelus prayer after Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
“I greet you all, Romans and pilgrims, especially those who have come from afar. I thank you for your participation and also for your prayers, which you have intensified in recent days. THANKS ! the 86-year-old pontiff told the crowd.
On Wednesday, the Vatican announced he was going to Gemelli Hospital in Rome for scheduled check-ups, before admitting he had been having difficulty breathing and was suffering from a “respiratory infection” requiring medical treatment. antibiotic treatment. This is his second hospitalization since 2021, when he underwent colon surgery, also in Gemelli.
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Ten years at the head of the Catholic Church
Pope Francis celebrated ten years at the head of the world Catholic Church at the beginning of March. He pushed through major governance reforms and sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church, although he faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.
He has repeatedly said he would consider resigning, like his predecessor Benedict XVI, who died in December, if his health were to fail, but he recently claimed that was not on the table.
François’ previous stay in Gemelli, in July 2021, had lasted ten days. He had been admitted for a major colon operation. He claims to have kept “after-effects” of anesthesia, which have pushed him to rule out knee surgery so far.
During an interview in January, Jorge Bergoglio confided again to suffer from diverticulitis, an inflammation of the diverticula, hernias or pockets which form on the walls of the digestive system.
The pope is constantly monitored by a team of caregivers, both in the Vatican and during his trips abroad. A precaution all the more necessary since he has a heavy medical history behind him: at 21, he almost died of pleurisy and suffered the partial removal of a lung.
