NPope Francis skipped his Palm Sunday address at the last minute in front of tens of thousands of people attending Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
At the age of 87, the supreme pontiff had several episodes of fever and bronchitis. In fact, three weeks ago, Francisco had a fever and continued his diary, but was unable to read on several occasions.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Pope showed a tired voice, and at the end of the Gospel reading, when the homily was expected, he remained silent for a long time, after which he went directly to religion.
His Holiness' decision to not read the homily to allow time for personal reflection was entirely unexpected, as he was scheduled to do so on Palm Sunday, the Eucharistic celebration that opens the rites of Holy Week.
On Wednesday, during a public audience, Francisco did not read a prepared catechesis by a collaborator and reasoned: “I can't”, referring to the breathing problems he has.
The square was decorated with olive branches and palms, which the faithful, nuns and members of the curia carried in procession before the mass, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem.
Before the mass, there was a procession, which first went to the central obelisk of St. Peter's Square, where palms were received, one of the oldest rites of Catholicism, dating back to the 3rd century.
Also read: Pope calls for “improvement of beauty” in age “poorest of humanity”.
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