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VATICAN CITY – Despite still recuperating from a severe case of pneumonia that posed a serious threat to his health, Pope Francis plans to deliver an Easter Sunday blessing. The Vatican made this statement on Thursday but did not clarify whether he will participate in other ceremonies during the holiday.
The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church came back to his residence in the Vatican on Sunday following a stay of five weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. Doctors had advised him that he would require a recovery period of at least two months.
His delicate health has sparked concerns regarding his involvement in the Easter festivities, the most sacred time in the Christian calendar, concluding with Easter Sunday on April 20.
The calendar for liturgical celebrations for the period, published by the Vatican on Thursday, makes no mention of the pope’s presence but does include the solemn blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world).
This tradition is typically carried out by the pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day, and cannot be assigned to anyone else.
The Vatican stated that the Holy Week observances, featuring the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome, will proceed as planned; however, they have not yet announced who will lead these ceremonies.
Ever since Francis was admitted to the hospital, senior cardinals have stepped in to lead the masses instead.
The Vatican press office stated that the possibility of the pope’s involvement in Easter celebrations will depend on how his health progresses “over the next few weeks.”
The canonization of Carlo Acutis, the globe’s first saint from the millennium generation—who passed away in 2006 at just 15 years old—remains scheduled for April 27. Declaring an individual as a saint is solely within the authority of the Pope.
According to his medical team, Francis was close to death two times while he was hospitalized.
Last Sunday, he made his debut on the Gemelli balcony just prior to being released from hospital — marking his first public appearance since February 14 — and expressed gratitude to the throng of pilgrims assembled beneath him with a faint voice.
His acknowledgment marked the most significant medical concern for the pope, who leads over 1.4 billion Catholics globally, since assuming his role as pontiff in March 2013.
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