Rebounding Pope Francis marks Palm Sunday in Vatican square
The Hindu
Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of faithful on Palm Sunday, a day after he left a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis
Bundled in a long, white coat and battling a hoarse voice, Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter's Square before tens of thousands of faithful on Palm Sunday, a day after he left a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis.
The sun broke through the clouds during the Mass, one of the longest services on the Church's calendar, as Pope Francis, red vestments placed over his coat, sat in a chair under a canopy erected in the square.
He took his place there after standing and clutching a braided palm branch in a popemobile that drove at the tail end of a long, solemn procession of cardinals, other prelates and rank-and-file Catholics. Participants carried palm fronds or olive tree branches.
Pope Francis (86) received antibiotics administered intravenously during his three-day stay. He last previous appearance in St. Peter's Square saw him conduct his his regular Wednesday public audience. He was taken to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic that same day after feeling ill.
His voice sounded strong as he opened the Mass, but quickly turned strained. Despite the hoarseness, Pope Francis read a 15-minute-long homily, occasionally adding off-the-cuff remarks for emphasis or gesturing with a hand.
The homily focused on moments when people feel “extreme pain, love that fails, or is rejected or betrayed.'' Pope Francis cited “children who are rejected or aborted,” as well as broken marriages, "forms of social exclusion, injustice and oppression, (and) the solitude of sickness."
Deviating from his prepared speech, Pope Francis spoke about a homeless German man who recently died, “alone, abandoned,” under the colonnade circling St. Peter's Square, where homeless persons often sleep.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.