Pope Francis broke with tradition at the start of Holy Week on Sunday by absenting himself from the annual homily reading during Palm Sunday Mass at the last minute.
Reuters reported that the pope skipped preaching in front of tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, but continued praying before leaving in a papal van to circle the crowd.
The 87-year-old pope has been suffering from bronchitis and influenza in recent weeks and had his aides read the speech for him.
But on Sunday, none of the text Francis had prepared was read.
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Pope Francis holds his weekly audience at the Vatican on February 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and continues until Easter. It is unusual for a pope to omit a sermon at such an important event.
The Vatican has not explained why Francis was absent from the sermon, and instead of pointing the camera at the pope, he pointed it at the crowd for several minutes.
Afterwards, an announcer said on Vatican Radio that Francis had decided not to read the sermon. Still, he continued to preside at services and read portions of the Mass.
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Pope Francis arrived at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, for his weekly general audience. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The service, attended by cardinals, priests and bishops, commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem just days before his betrayal by Judas, his trial and crucifixion.
Vatican police estimated there were about 60,000 people in the crowd, many of whom held palms and olive branches during the service.
After Mass, the pope delivered the weekly Angelus message and blessing from the altar rather than from the windows of the Apostolic Palace overlooking the square, which is not unusual when major events occur.
During a prayer, Francis condemned the attack on a concert hall near Moscow that left more than 130 people dead, calling the massacre a despicable and inhumane act that insults God.
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He also asked for prayers for those suffering in Gaza, Ukraine and other war zones.
After the service, Francis rode around the square in an open-top vehicle, waving and smiling to the crowd.
Reuters contributed to this report.
