Pope Francis made a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, which elicited cheers and applause from the crowd as he continues to recover from a nearly fatal episode of bilateral pneumonia.
PUBLICIDAD
“Brothers and sisters, happy Easter!” said Francis, with a voice that sounded louder than it had been since his hospitalization.
PUBLICIDAD
The pope did not celebrate Easter Mass in the square, which he delegated to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the balcony of the loggia above the entrance of the basilica.
The thousands of people below erupted in cheers as a military band started playing a round of the anthems of the Holy See and Italy.
Francis waved from the balcony and then asked an assistant to read his speech.
On his way to the basilica, Francis briefly met with the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family.
Saint Peter’s Square was filled with daffodils, tulips, and other flowers donated by the Netherlands on a cold but sunny spring morning.
Francishas only appeared in public a handful of times since he returned to the Vatican on March 23 after a 38-day hospital stay. He did not attend the solemn events of Good Friday and Holy Saturday before Easter, but the Mass booklet and liturgical plans published by the Vatican had announced his appearance on Sunday.
Easter is the most joyful moment in the Christian liturgical calendar, when believers celebrate the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion. This year, Easter is celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and it has been marked by Russia’s announcement of a temporary Easter truce in its war in Ukraine.
The celebration of Easter at the Vatican usually involves a Mass and the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the pope (“to the city and the world” in Latin), a speech delivered from the loggia above the entrance of the basilica that typically summarizes global critical issues and human suffering. It remained to be seen whether Francis would appear to deliver the speech or simply give the apostolic blessing at the end.
The pope has drastically reduced his workload while following the doctors’ orders of two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function. It still seems to require a great effort for him to project his voice, and his breathing remains laborious.
Before Sunday, his biggest outing had been a visit to the prison in central Rome to spend Holy Thursday with the inmates. The visit made clear his priorities as he slowly recovers: spending time with the most marginalized people.