Pope Francis presents himself at the Balcon of the Saint-Pierre Basilica in Rome for Easter celebrations, and warns against “the climate of increasing anti-Semitism”

Barely a month after his leaving the hospital, Pope Francis presented himself, on Sunday April 20, at the Balcony of the Saint-Pierre Basilica in Rome and wished ” Happy Easter “ To the thousands of faithful gathered for the most important party in the Christian calendar. The 88 -year -old pope, whose presence was uncertain, appeared in a wheelchair, shortly afternoon, to give his traditional blessing Urbi and Orbi (“in the city and the world”), broadcast in Mondovision.

Always weakened and struggling to speak despite the improvement of his respiratory capacities, Pope Francis entrusted a collaborator with the reading of his text, in which he reviews conflicts in the world. The Pope notably denounced the “Dramatic and ignoble humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip, while warning against “The climate of growing anti -Semitism that spreads around the world”. “I call for belligerents: stop fire, that the hostages are released and that precious aid is brought to the hungry population which aspires to a future of peace”he launched in his message.

“No peace is possible where there is no religious freedom or freedom of thought and expression”also estimated Pope Francis, urging political leaders to “Do not give in to the logic of fear that encloses” and at “Bringing down the barriers that create divisions”pleading once again for disarmament. A few moments before, François had received the American vice-president, JD Vance, for a “Private meeting” of “A few minutes” At the Sainte-Marthe residence, where he lives in the Vatican, two months after the strong criticisms of the head of the Catholic Church against the migration policy of the administration of Donald Trump.

Unexpected crowd bath on the papamobile

For the first time since his election, in 2013, the chief of the 1.4 billion Catholics missed most of the meetings of Holy Week, including the Cross Stations at the Colosseum on Friday and the Pascale vigil on Saturday evening, whose presidency he delegated to cardinals. But Saturday afternoon, he made a brief public appearance in the Saint-Pierre basilica to pray in front of an icon of the Virgin before greeting faithful and distributing treats to children.

After the traditional Urbi and Orbi blessings, the Pope also offered a surprise crowd to his Papamobile, Place Saint-Pierre. There is traveled for almost fifteen minutes the aisles of the square and blessed of infants in a highly over -worn atmosphere, framed by many bodyguards.

Easter mass, which commemorates the resurrection of Christ, started at 8:30 a.m. on Place Saint-Pierre, adorned with thousands of Dutch flowers in the presence of some three hundred priests, bishops and cardinals, chaired by the Italian cardinal Angelo Comastri. The organizers awaited an even denser crowd than usual due to the 2025 jubilee, “Holy Year” of the Catholic Church, which takes place every quarter of a century and for which millions of pilgrims flock to the Eternal City.

“I live it as I can”

Saturday evening, it was the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the Cardinalice College, who presided over the Pascale vigil with the glow of thousands of candles that illuminated the very solemn setting of the Saint-Pierre basilica. For his only public commitment of this holy week, Jorge Bergoglio-supposed to observe a strict rest of two months, without public activities-went Thursday to a prison in the center of Rome where he met some seventy detained, as he usually does each year. Questioned by journalists about the way he lived Easter this year, François replied in a breathless voice: “I live it as I can. »»

Already weakened by repeated health problems and surgical interventions, François has come close to death twice during his hospitalization of thirty-eight days at the Gemelli hospital, from which he was released on March 23. During his latest public appearances, he no longer wore oxygen nasal cannulas, signs progress related to the rehabilitation he follows to the Vatican.

Rare fact, Christians around the world celebrate Easter this year on the same day due to the concordance of Gregorian calendars, followed by Catholics and Protestants, and Julien, followed by Orthodox.