Pope Francis refrained from giving his homily in the middle of Palm Sunday Mass

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This Sunday, March 24, while celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis did not recite the text of his homily. He still continued to preside over the celebration, which marks the Church’s entry into the liturgical season of Holy Week, during which the faithful remember Christ’s Passion before celebrating the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. However, custom suggests that on Palm Sunday, given the unusual length of the Gospel read during Mass, the celebrant may refrain from uttering the devotion.

However, the text of this devotion was written in advance and distributed to the press in eight different languages. But the pope did not rise after the reading of the Gospel of the Passion, which was not even read by the venerable priest. This is the 11th time in two months that the Pope has not delivered a planned text during an audience, even if the interruption was not manageable during that period.

This choice not to leave was later explained by the Holy See’s communications services as a “moment of silence and prayer”. However, Pope Francis continued to celebrate the mass in front of a crowd of 60,000 people, according to a Vatican gendarmerie count, and in the presence of 30 cardinals, 25 bishops and more than 350 priests.

Prayer for the victims of the attack in Moscow

At the end of the Mass, the Holy Father addressed his prayers to the victims of the fatal attack in a weak and hesitant voice “Coward”

Condemned by targeting a concert hall near Moscow “Inhuman Acts”. “I assure the victims of the cowardly terrorist attack in Moscow the other evening with my prayers”He added: “May God receive them in his peace, comfort their families and change the hearts of those who plan and commit these inhumane acts that offend God, who said ‘Thou shalt not kill'”.

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Pope Francis, however, appeared in good spirits after the mass, smiling and waving to the crowd on his side. “Papamobile” who went around St. Peter’s Square.

The 87-year-old pontiff came down with the flu last month and has since asked others to read his texts during his appearances. He has suffered from a number of health problems in recent years, including knee and hip pain, an inflamed colon and a hernia operation last year.