Easter Mass with Pope Francis began on Sunday for tens of thousands of believers and tourists in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The pontifex arrived at St. Peter’s Square, where a large crowd had gathered since early morning, and greeted the pilgrims, who were returning to the celebration after the two corona busts in 2020 and 2021.
After Mass on the main holiday of the Catholic Church, the Pope will bestow the blessing Urbi et Orbi, ie the city and the world, from his loggia at 12:00 noon. Francis is expected to take the opportunity to make another appeal for peace.
Pope couldn’t keep Easter vigil himself
On Sunday night, Francis had attended the Easter Vigil in the cathedral. For the first time, the Pope, plagued by knee and hip pain, was unable to conduct the Easter Vigil himself. Instead, he attended the service from a seat in front of the pews of the faithful. Its chief celebrant was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. Pope Francis read the sermon himself.
Pope will not travel to Ukraine for the time being
Meanwhile, it was reported that Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Pope’s envoy to Ukraine, has provisionally ruled out a trip by the Holy Father to the war-torn country. “The Holy Father cannot come in person at the moment. But as Pope Karol Wojtyla often said when I was his personal secretary: we’ll see,” the Polish cardinal emphasized in an interview with the Milan daily Corriere della Sera.
“Pope Francis has asked me to be close to the people, to wash the feet of those who suffer. In Bucha and Borodjanka we walked as if at a crossroads between the bombed and burnt houses. There were deaths without first or last names, and my thoughts are with the poor families who are still trying to identify the bodies,” the pope’s envoy and chaplain said. He spent a few days before Easter with war victims and I have them too
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
