Pope Francis attended the Easter Vigil at the Vatican on Saturday night, a day after skipping a last-minute Good Friday service to “protect his health.”
The 87-year-old pope, sometimes rattling and out of breath, delivered a successful 10-minute sermon in St. Peter's Basilica and baptized eight adults.
He entered the cathedral in a wheelchair, sat in a chair, and offered the opening prayer. About 6,000 people gathered in Vatican City to celebrate.
What did the Pope say?
In his homily, Francis spoke out against the world's “walls of selfishness and indifference” and lamented that “all hopes for peace have been crushed by the cruelty of hatred and the ferocity of war.”
Francis also spoke about the resurrection of Christ.
Referring to the stone that believers believe was removed from Christ's tomb after his death, the Pope urged Catholics to “close the doors of our hearts, stifle our lives, extinguish our hope, He urged them to remove from their lives the “stones that keep us in our graves.” About our fears and regrets. ”
“Let us lift up our eyes to Him and pray that the power of His resurrection will roll away the heavy stones that weigh on our souls,” he added.
Pope's health concerns
Francis is scheduled to preside at Easter Mass on Sunday and give the traditional “Urbi e Orbi” blessing.
The incident comes after the Pope recently canceled engagements while battling a variety of illnesses said to include a cold, bronchitis and the flu.
Francis had one of his lungs removed when he was young, and these days he uses a wheelchair or a cane due to knee problems.
But Francis wrote in his memoirs published earlier this month that there was “no serious reason to consider resigning.”
zc/rm (AFP, AP, DPA, Reuters)
