Vatican
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will attend Easter Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday evening.
It follows a last-minute decision by the 87-year-old pope not to attend Good Friday Mass “for the sake of his health” ahead of major Easter events over the weekend.
Earlier on Good Friday, he led a two-hour Mass of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica.
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Before the Stations of the Cross service begins at Rome's Colosseum on Friday evening, the Vatican said Pope Francis will follow it from his home rather than attend in person.
“In order to preserve his health in view of tomorrow’s vigil and Easter Mass, Pope Francis will this evening follow the Stations of the Cross in the Colosseum from the House of Saint Martha,” the Vatican press office said.
These stations represent different stages of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, as the Pope seeks to apply the biblical narrative to contemporary concerns.
The pope is expected to attend Easter Mass on Sunday in St. Peter's Square and then an Easter message and “Urbi et Orbi” (for the city and the world) blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Easter is the most important day in the Church's liturgical calendar and celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead.
The pope's health has been closely monitored after he underwent abdominal surgery in 2023. In recent weeks, he asked Francis' aides to read several of his speeches while he suffered from bronchitis, a cold and flu, and has been in hospital for some time. He is undergoing tests.
At his Good Friday mediations in 2024, war, online hate and the exploitation of women were among the topics addressed by Pope Francis. In it, Pope Francis talks about the judgment of people who witness the crucifixion, and links it to online hate.
While calling for an end to “rash judgment, gossip, and violent and insulting words,” Pope Francis wrote: “All it takes is a keyboard to hurl insults and condemnations,” according to a CNN report.
In his reflections, he also criticized the “madness” and “shock” of war, and expressed solidarity with those “humiliated by the arrogance, injustice and power of those who exploit the poor amidst general indifference,” CNN reported.
During his reflections, Pope Francis also spoke about the women who accompanied and helped Jesus before the crucifixion. “Help us to recognize the dignity of those women who have remained faithful and stood by you in your suffering, and those who are exploited in our day and endure injustice and humiliation,” the Pontiff said.
During the traditional Maundy Thursday ritual that commemorates Jesus washing the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper, Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair, visited inmates at the Rebibbia women's prison in Rome where he washed the feet of 12 female prisoners.
