Pope Francis presides over the Easter vigil at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday evening, the day after the surprise cancellation of his participation in the Stations of the Cross, which had revived questions about his failing health. The sovereign pontiff, aged 87, arrived dressed in white in a wheelchair to preside over this solemn celebration of around two hours, in the presence of 6,000 faithful, before mass on Sunday morning and the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, broadcast in mondovision.
In a basilica passed from darkness to the light of candles, a rite which symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ among Catholics, Francis delivered a ten-minute homily in Italian, without particular difficulty. He spoke out against the “stones of death,” “the walls of selfishness and indifference,” and “all aspirations for peace shattered by the cruelty of hatred and the ferocity of war.” .
His presence confirmed at midday
His presence 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”. 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 helped to revive questions about the failing health of Jorge Bergoglio.
“The Via Crucis of the fragile pope”, headlined the daily on Saturday The stamp while Il Messaggero spoke of the “renunciation of Francis”. 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.
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”.