Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: HANDOUT / VATICAN MEDIA / AFP 3:03 p.m., March 30, 2024

Pope Francis is expected in Rome on Saturday evening for the Easter vigil after canceling his participation in the Stations of the Cross on Friday, an unexpected decision which renewed questions about his increasingly fragile health.

The 87-year-old pontiff will preside over the Easter vigil at St. Peter's Basilica at 7:30 p.m., in the presence of thousands of pilgrims from around the world, before mass on Sunday morning and the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, broadcast on television. . His presence on Saturday was confirmed by the Vatican at midday, despite the cancellation on Friday evening, at the last minute, of his visit to the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum "to preserve his health".

Poor health

The timing of this cancellation - which occurred a few moments before the start of the ceremony, forcing the organizers to hastily remove the pope's chair - and the laconic communication from the Vatican contributed to relaunching questions about the failing health of Jorge Bergoglio. “The Via Crucis of the fragile pope”, headlines the daily La stampa on Saturday, while Il Messaggero sees it as a “renunciation of Francis”.

“This is a simple measure of prudence,” a Vatican source had qualified to AFP, assuring that the health of the pope, who appeared “in good shape” in recent hours, gave rise to “no concern particular". The Argentine Jesuit had already canceled his participation in the “Via Crucis” in 2023, but this decision followed a three-day hospitalization for bronchitis and had been communicated in advance.

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A cancellation full of questions

A central pillar of the Catholic calendar, Holy Week, which involves numerous ceremonies ending with Easter, can be compared to a marathon for an octogenarian who has been traveling in a wheelchair for two years. In recent days, the Bishop of Rome had honored his commitments to the point of presiding as planned over the office of the Passion of Christ for nearly two hours on Friday afternoon.

But he recently appeared tired and had been forced on several occasions to delegate the reading of his speeches, citing bronchitis, for which he had undergone examinations in a hospital in Rome at the end of February. This new cancellation risks reviving questions about his ability to continue to govern the Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion faithful, a familiar refrain for several months.

Frantic pace at the Vatican

Despite a major abdominal operation in 2023, Francis, who never takes vacation, continues to submit to a hectic pace at the Vatican, where he can receive around ten people in a morning. His age and precarious health, however, seem to be catching up with him: he has not traveled since his visit to Marseille in September and had to cancel his trip to Dubai for COP28 in December due to bronchitis.

His announced trip to the borders of Asia and Oceania this summer, which the Vatican has not made official until now, seems more uncertain than ever. Francis has always left "the door open" to a possible renunciation, in line with his predecessor Benedict XVI. But in an autobiography published in mid-March, he reiterated that he had no "serious reason" to give up his office, a "remote hypothesis" which would only be justified in the event of a "serious physical impediment".