Achi news desk-
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis would preside over the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night, after he decided at the last minute to skip his participation in the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum as a health precaution.
The Vatican’s daily bulletin confirmed that Francis would lead the long vigil in St Peter’s Basilica, one of the most solemn and important times in the Catholic liturgical calendar. The service, which is due to start at 7:30 pm and usually lasts two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism of eight adult converts.
Francis, aged 87, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems all winter which have made it difficult for him to speak at length.
He has canceled some audiences and often asks an assistant to read some of his speeches out loud. But he gave up his homily on Palm Sunday altogether and decided at the last minute on Friday to stay home rather than preside over the Way of the Cross procession in the Colosseum recreating Christ’s crucifixion.
The Vatican said in a brief explanation that the decision was made to “protect his health” in view of the vigil service on Saturday and his even greater tax obligations on Easter Sunday. The pope is due to preside at Easter Mass in the morning in St Peter’s Square and deliver his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) speech praying for an end to global crises.
Although Francis also skipped the cold procession on Good Friday last year because he was recovering from bronchitis, his sudden absence from this year’s event raised concern. His chair was in place on the podium, and his assistants were preparing for his arrival when the Vatican announced five minutes before the official start time that he was not coming.
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As well as his respiratory problems, Francis had a chunk of his large intestine removed in 2021 and was hospitalized twice last year, including once to remove intestinal scar tissue from previous surgeries to address diverticulosis, or swelling in his intestinal wall. He has been using a wheelchair or cane for almost two years due to bad knee ligaments.
In his recently published memoir, “Life: My Story Through History,” Francis said he does not suffer from any health problems that would require him to resign and that he has “many projects to come to fruition.”
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
