VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis did not read his homily at Mass for Palm Sunday, an extremely unusual move during an event of such importance for Catholic Christians.
The sovereign pontiff, however, continued to preside over the service in front of tens of thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, at the Vatican.
In recent weeks, the 87-year-old pope has suffered from bronchitis and flu and used an assistant to read his speeches for him. This Sunday, the text he had prepared was not read at all.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella, Blandine Hénault for the French version)
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