Pope visits prison on Holy ThursdayUnder a clear and sunny sky, more than 35,000 people gathered this Easter Sunday in St. Peter's Square, according to Vatican figures, to celebrate Easter Mass. The liturgy was presided over by Cardinal Angelo ComastriArchpriest Emeritus of St. Peter's Basilica and Vicar General Emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City. The celebration culminated with the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central balcony of the Vatican Basilica.
The appearance of the Pope and his message
Pope Francis accessed the balcony of blessings through a ramp, visibly frail, in a wheelchair and without oxygen assistance. A slight delay of three minutes in the opening of the balcony's red curtain was surprising, something unusual for a ceremony measured to the second.
However, the wait was dissipated with the appearance of the Pontiff, who greeted those present with "Dear brothers and sisters, good Easter!" before delegating the reading of the Easter message to Bishop Diego Ravelli, master of the pontifical liturgical celebrations.
A review of the wounded world
The message, as is tradition, included a call for global peace and reconciliation. Francis expressed his concern about the multiple hotbeds of conflict, from violence against women, wars in GazaThe report also highlights the worrisome upsurge of anti-Semitism in the world.
After the speech, the faithful were reminded of the possibility of obtaining the plenary indulgence, and the Pope imparted the final blessing. Despite his delicate state of health, he did so in a clear voice.
In total, Francisco remained on the balcony for about 20 minutes without showing visible signs of fatigue, confirming a certain stability in his recovery.
Finally, to everyone's surprise, after the blessing, he went down to the square and toured it in the popemobile to greet the faithful gathered there. Logically, he did not greet the faithful with the usual effusiveness in this type of tour, but he did spend another half hour touring the square up to Via della Conciliacione. It was the first time that the Pope traveled through the square in a popemobile since his admission to hospital.
