The 86-year-old Pope greeted the crowds from the papal car while touring the square, which was decorated with more than 35,000 plants and flowers, before presiding, as promised, the mass attended by about thirty thousand people.
This Mass marks the beginning of Holy Week, which precedes Easter celebrations, the most important event of the year for Catholics.
Francis, 86, left Saturday, Gemelli Hospital in Rome, after spending three nights there, and appeared to be in a good mood. “I’m still alive,” he said smiling to reporters and believers gathered around the hospital who asked him about his condition.
For several years, the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics has been suffering from increasing health problems, including knee pain, which forces him to use a wheelchair and a cane.
On Palm Sunday and Easter, the pope is expected to remain seated while a cardinal arranges the religious ceremonies at the altar.
The Holy See stated that this measure was taken before the Argentine Pope was admitted to the hospital, as he was no longer able to stand for long periods.
The Vatican announced on Wednesday that the Pope would be transferred to Gemelli Hospital in Rome for previously scheduled examinations, before it was later revealed that he was suffering from breathing difficulties and a “respiratory infection” that required antibiotic treatment.
This is the second time he has been hospitalized since 2021, when he underwent colon surgery at the Gemelli Center itself, also, after suffering from diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that grow in the lining of the intestine. In an interview in January, the pope said diverticulitis had returned.
But in response to reporters’ questions on Saturday about whether this recent health ailment caused him fear, he shook his head, saying, “No.”
Permanent follow up
While he was in Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the Argentine Jesuit Friday made a surprise visit to the pediatric oncology ward, where he brought the children chocolate eggs, rosaries and books. Francis also baptized a baby a few weeks old.
In a video clip and photos published by the Vatican, the Pope appears smiling and leaning on a device that helps him walk, writes on a piece of paper and sprinkles water on the head of the newborn.
The Vatican confirmed at the time that the pope would lead a Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, after two days of media rumours.
The Pope constantly follows a medical team in the Vatican as well as during his trips abroad, especially since in 1957, when he was twenty-one, he underwent surgery during which part of one of his lungs was removed, but he said he fully recovered.
In early March, the Pope celebrated the tenth anniversary of his presidency of the Catholic Church. He had adopted major reforms and sought to make the church more open and sympathetic, despite facing internal opposition, especially from conservatives.
Francis has repeatedly confirmed that he will consider, if his health deteriorates, to resign, like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who died in December, but he said last month that this matter is not currently on the table.
The Pope is constantly followed by a medical team in the Vatican as well as during his trips abroad, especially since in 1957, when he was twenty-one, he underwent surgery during which part of one of his lungs was removed, but he said he had fully recovered.
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