Pope soldiers on through Easter Sunday after skipping Good Friday ‘to preserve health’

Rome: Pope Francis overcame concerns about his health to preside over Easter Sunday Mass, leading some 30,000 people in a flower-decked St Peter’s Square in one of the most important liturgies of the year.

Just hours after celebrating the 2½-hour nighttime Easter Vigil, the 87-year-old Francis appeared in good form at the start of the liturgy in the blustery piazza.

Pope Francis bestows the “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and to the world) blessing from the central lodge of the St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Sunday.Credit: AP

Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems all winter that the Vatican has said were related to bronchitis, the flu or a cold.

Easter Mass is one of the most important dates on the liturgical calendar, celebrating what the faithful believe was Jesus’ resurrection after his crucifixion. The Mass precedes the pope’s “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing, a lengthy speech that traditionally rounds up all the threats facing humanity.

For the past few weeks, Francis has generally avoided delivering long speeches to avoid the strain on his breathing. He cancelled his Palm Sunday homily last week and decided at the last minute to stay home from the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum. The Vatican said in a brief explanation that the decision was made to “conserve his health.”

The decision appeared to have paid off, as Francis was able to recite the prayers of the lengthy Saturday night Easter Vigil service, including administering the sacraments of baptism and First Communion to eight new Catholics, and preside over Easter Sunday Mass.

Pope Francis waves after presiding over the Easter Vigil celebration.Credit: AP

For the Saturday service, Francis entered the darkened, silent St Peter’s Basilica in his wheelchair, took his place in a chair and offered an opening prayer.

Sounding somewhat congested and out of breath, he blessed an elaborately decorated Easter candle, the flame of which was then shared with other candles until the whole basilica twinkled.

More than an hour later, Francis delivered a 10-minute homily in a strong voice, clearing his throat occasionally.

In his homily Francis referred to the stone that the faithful believe was removed from Christ’s tomb after his death. Francis urged Catholics to remove the stones in their lives that “block the door of our hearts, stifling life, extinguishing hope, imprisoning us in the tomb of our fears and regrets”.

“Let us lift our eyes to him and ask that the power of his resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls,” he said.

Holy Week is trying for a pope under any circumstances, given four days of liturgies, rites, fasting and prayer. That is especially true for Francis, who cancelled a trip to Dubai late last year, with just days to go, on doctor’s orders because of his respiratory problems.

In addition to his respiratory problems, Francis had a chunk of his large intestine removed in 2021 and was hospitalised twice last year, including once to remove intestinal scar tissue from previous surgeries to address diverticulosis, (bulges in his intestinal wall). He has been using a wheelchair or cane for nearly two years because of bad knee ligaments.

In his recently published memoirs, Life: My Story Through History, Francis said he isn’t suffering from any health problems that would require him to resign and that he still has “many projects to bring to fruition.”

AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.