Pope leaves faithful guessing over Easter appearances

Pope Francis may be on the mend, but as Easter nears, Catholic faithful are wondering how much of the celebrations the 88-year-old will be able to take part in after battling life-threatening pneumonia.

The week of Easter is the most significant religious holiday in the Christian calendar and is packed with events, from the Way of the Cross celebrated at the Colosseum to the Easter Vigil liturgy.

All are traditionally presided over by the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics in the presence of tens of thousands of faithful.

But less than a month after his release from Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he spent nearly 40 days, Francis is likely to sit out the bulk of the week's events, for the first time since being made pope in 2013.

When he returned home from the hospital on March 23, doctors advised the Argentine to rest for at least two months, avoiding public activity and contact with crowds.
He has not entirely complied.

Surprise appearances

In the past few days, the pontiff has made one surprise appearance after another, most recently turning up in St Peter's Square following mass for Palm Sunday, where he shook hands, blessed babies and waved to the crowds.

"Happy Holy Week," Francis greeted the approximately 20,000 faithful in a frail voice as he was pushed around the square in his wheelchair, appearing without the nasal cannula which supplies him high-flow oxygen.

Last Wednesday, Francis held a brief private audience with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

On Thursday, he made a quick visit to greet pilgrims and look at recent restoration work inside St Peter's Basilica, and on Saturday, he visited Santa Maria Maggiore in the centre of Rome, a basilica close to the pontiff's heart.

After his hospitalisation sparked renewed speculation about a possible resignation, countless questions remain about how much the still-convalescing pope will be able to do during Holy Week, which commemorates the passion and resurrection of Christ.

But given his recent spate of appearances it would seem that the pope's presence on Easter Sunday -- in at least some form -- is likely.

"Obviously his state of health is improving, in terms of motor ability, his breathing and also his voice," the Vatican press office told journalists Tuesday.

It was too early, he said, to comment on any participation by the pope over Easter.

Bishop of Rotterdam Hans van den Hende blesses flowers at Keukenhof before they leave for the Vatican. Pope Francis will be surrounded by the Dutch flowers while pronouncing the traditional blessing Urbi et Orbi from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. AFP Photo

'Time of suffering'

The Vatican has decided to continue with the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing ("To the City and to the World"), which will be broadcast from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica at 1000 GMT on Sunday.

But it is not clear whether the pope will delegate the subsequent reading of his text to someone else, as he has done in the past.

"This blessing to the whole world can only be given by the pope... it's a gesture for believers and non-believers alike," Giovanni Terragni, an Italian priest, told AFP outside the Vatican on Tuesday.

The gesture is all the more symbolic as Rome celebrates the Jubilee of the Catholic Church in 2025, a "Holy Year" designated by the pope every quarter of a century and attended by millions of pilgrims.

There is even less clarity on whether Francis will attend any of the other events over the next few days: the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday mass and the Way of the Cross outside Rome's Colosseum on Friday evening, and the Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday evening.

In 2023 and 2024, Francis did not participate in the Stations of the Cross for health reasons, but he did attend Easter Vigil the following day.

"He is the one who called for this Holy Year and the Lord is trying him," said Sister Ermelinda Pettenon, an Italian nun.

"The important thing is that he accepts this time of suffering and trial."