Pope Francis presided over the Palm Sunday Mass on 24 March in St. Peter’s Square and he did not deliver the sermon and any of the concelebrants did not read it. present.
The celebration began at 10:00 a.m. (Rome time) and nearly 25,000 faithful participated, according to the Vatican Gendarmerie.
The Mass was preceded by the Palm Sunday palm procession, carried by bishops, priests, religious and lay people around the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square to remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
After the ceremony in which the palms were blessed and the procession of bishops and priests, the Holy Father went to the atrium of the Vatican Basilica for the Eucharist with which Holy Week began.
At the time of the sermon, Pope Francis preferred not to read the text and continued with the celebration.
Although the Holy See has not offered further information on the matter, the Pontiff could have made this decision due to his respiratory difficulty due to the persistent flu that he has been suffering from for more than a month.
As is customary, the Vatican Press Office sent journalists the text of the sermon that Pope Francis was scheduled to deliver. This is known as an embargo, meaning that it should not be published until the Holy Father pronounces it.