The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, blessed thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square today on Easter, although he did not celebrate Mass.
Pope Francis is recovering from a severe inflammation of both lungs, and in his place, Cardinal Angelo Comastri celebrated the open-air Mass in front of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and delivered a sermon prepared by the pope.
The pope first read a blessing in Latin from the balcony after the mass, then greeted the faithful by driving through the square in the popemobile, which caused enthusiasm, applause and shouts of “Long live the Pope!” and “Bravo!”.
In front of St. Peter’s Basilica there were daffodils, tulips and other flowers donated by the Netherlands for Easter.
“Brothers and sisters, happy Easter!” Francis said.
The pope has appeared in public only a few times since returning to the Vatican on March 23 after 38 days in hospital. He also skipped the Good Friday and Holy Saturday mass before Easter, but was expected to appear today.
Easter is the most joyous holiday in the Christian calendar, when believers celebrate the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion.
This year, both Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same day.
Easter is traditionally marked in the Vatican with an Easter mass, from which the traditional message “To the City and to the World” is delivered