Pope Francis was present at the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican, after spending several days in the Gemelli hospital in Rome after he was admitted on March 29 due to a lung infection. At least 30,000 parishioners were present carrying the traditional palm fronds and olive branches.
The Supreme Pontiff was seated for much of the ceremony that begins Holy Week, although the Mass was presided over by the Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri. During his speech, his holiness said that entire towns are exploited and abandoned. “The poor live in our streets and we look the other way (…) Migrants are no longer faces but numbers; the prisoners are disowned; people dismissed as problems,” said the head of the Holy See.
After the Palm Sunday mass, the pontiff thanked all those who prayed for his health during his hospitalization for bronchitis in Rome. “I thank you for his participation and also for his prayers, which have intensified during these days,” exclaimed his holiness.
Last Saturday, the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said that Pope Francis will preside over the events of the Holy Week celebrations and there will be no changes in the activities that he must preside over, despite his state of health. “This provision is already planned before the Pope was hospitalized,” Bruni said.
The Supreme Pontiff has for some time suffered from various medical conditions, including diverticulitis, a common condition that can cause inflammation or infection of the colon. In addition, Francisco has been seen using a cane for some time. It is known that as a young man he suffered severe pneumonia and had part of a lung removed.
With information from CNN and EFE
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