Tens of thousands of Catholics will gather Sunday at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City to hear Pope Francis give Easter Mass and a traditional blessing.
Pope Francis looks at his candle during the Easter vigil as part of the Holy Week celebrations, at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on March 30, 2024.VATICAN CITY, Holy See — Tens of thousands of Catholics will gather Sunday at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City to hear Pope Francis give Easter Mass and a traditional blessing.
He delivered a 10-minute homily in Italian, speaking without any undue difficulty and condemning "the walls of selfishness and indifference" in the world. The Argentinian Jesuit had also cancelled his participation in the "Via Crucis" in 2023, but that followed a three-day hospital stay for bronchitis, and was announced well ahead of time. Weeks later, he underwent a hernia operation.
Francis has previously left the door open to stepping down if he can no longer do the job. That would follow the example of his immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step aside.
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