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Pope Francis on Good Friday

Photo: Claudio Asquini / ipa-agency.net / Independent Photo Agency Int. / IMAGO

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will preside over the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. This means that the Pope is also expected to hold Easter mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday morning, in which he will pray for an end to the global crises under the motto Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World).

The Vatican's daily bulletin confirmed that Francis will lead the vigil in St. Peter's Basilica - one of the most solemn and important moments in the Catholic liturgical calendar. The service, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and normally last two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism for eight adult converts.

Surprisingly and at very short notice, the head of the Catholic Church canceled his participation in the traditional Way of the Cross in Rome on Good Friday. Just a few minutes before the start of the "Via Crucis" at the Colosseum, the Holy See announced that the 87-year-old would follow the atmospheric procession from his residence in the Vatican in order to protect his health.

The decision must have been made very spontaneously, because a white chair for the Pope was already ready on a hill opposite the ancient amphitheater - and behind it were high-ranking church representatives and the mayor of Rome. The chair was only taken away shortly after the cancellation. The Vatican said in a brief statement that the decision was made to "preserve his health."

Francis, 87, who had part of a lung removed as a young man, struggled throughout the winter with breathing problems that made it difficult for him to speak at length. The pope had canceled some audiences and often asked assistants to read his speeches.

Traditionally a tight program

Last year, after recovering from bronchitis, the Pope had to forego attending the Stations of the Cross outdoor devotion at the Colosseum for a short time. It was the first time since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013 that a Stations of the Cross took place without Francis. For his predecessors, this only happened in 2005. John Paul II, who was seriously ill, followed the procession from the Vatican - he died a short time later.

At Easter time, the Pope traditionally has to complete a tight holiday program. In addition to his respiratory problems, Francis had a piece of his colon removed in 2021. He has also been dependent on a wheelchair or a walking stick for almost two years due to torn ligaments in his knee.

In his recently published memoirs, Francis writes that he does not suffer from health problems that would force him to resign and that he still has "many projects to realize."

dab/AP/dpa