ROME: Pope Francis decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health.
ROME: Pope Francis decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health.Hobbled by bad knees and persistent respiratory problems, Francis also didn't participate in the procession of cardinals around the obelisk in the piazza at the start of the Mass.
The following day marks the Easter Vigil, during which Francis presides over a solemn nighttime service in the basilica, followed by Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and his noontime blessing from the loggia above.The Holy Week schedule is challenging for popes even under the best of circumstances. But that is especially true this year for Francis, who has been battling on and off all winter what he and the Vatican have described as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold.
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