Pope Francis sent Easter blessing to believers on St. Peter Square

Pope Francis appeared briefly today to bless the thousands of people gathered at St. Peter Square in the Vatican and were greeted with joyful cheers and applause, the BTA quoted the Associated Press.

« Brothers and sisters, happy Easter! » Said Francis, whose voice sounded stronger than when discharged from the hospital where it was admitted with severe bilateral pneumonia.

The Pope did not attend the Easter liturgy on the square and instead left Cardinal Angelo Kosastri to lead it. After the end of the liturgy, however, Francis appeared on the balcony above the entrance of the Basilica « St. Peter ». He waved the people and then asked his assistant to read his speech.

The head to the Basilica Francis briefly met with American Vice President Jay Di Vance, who is in Rome with his family.

Francis has only only appeared several times since he returned to the Vatican on March 23 after a 38-day stay in hospital. He missed the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, preceding Easter.

Easter is the most joyous day in the Christian liturgical calendar when believers celebrate the resurrection of Christ after His crucifix. This year Easter is celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and Russia has temporarily declared an Easter truce in its war in Ukraine.

Easter in the Vatican traditionally involves the liturgy and speech of Pope Urbi et orbi (in Latin: « to the city and the world »), in which he usually talks about the hot spots in the world and human suffering.

Francis dramatically restricts his workload, as doctors’ prescriptions should be given two months for recovery and respiratory therapy to improve pulmonary function, the AP notes. Public speaking out loud seems to still take great effort, and his breathing remains difficult.

His most significant public event so far has been a visit to a prison in the center of Rome to spend Holy Thursday with prisoners. The visit clearly demonstrates his priorities as he slowly recovers – to spend time with people who are in the periphery of society, the agency added.

The Pope made a short meeting with the US Vice President

US Vice President Ji Di Vance briefly met with Pope Francis on Easter while the Holy Father is recovering from pneumonia, world agencies reported, citing a statement by the Vatican.

Reuters

The Vance Circle entered the Vatican through a side gate and stopped near the Francis’ residence, while the Easter liturgy was held on St. Peter Square. The pope, who significantly limited the volume of his work while recovering, delegated the ceremony of the Cardinal.

The Vatican reported that Vance and Francis met in a few minutes « to exchange Easter greetings. »

The US Vice President and the Pope had sharp quarrels regarding the migration and plans of President Donald Trump’s administration for mass deportations of migrants, notes the Associated Press. Francis has made the care of migrants a distinctive feature of its papacy.

Vance, who accepted Catholicism in 2019, met with the Vatican Secretary of State yesterday.