Pope Francis is likely to lead Easter services at the Vatican on Saturday and Sunday, following his last-minute cancellation of a big Good Friday procession that raised concerns about his health.
The 87-year-old pontiff was still planned to preside over an Easter vigil at Saint Peter’s Basilica at 1830 GMT, in front of thousands of pilgrims from all around the world, the Vatican said on Saturday.
On Easter Sunday, the pontiff often holds a mass and gives his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, which is broadcast across the world.
The Vatican issued a brief statement Friday, stating that “to preserve his health ahead of tomorrow’s vigil and the Easter Sunday mass, Pope Francis will this evening follow the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum from the Santa Marta Residence,” where he lives.
The abrupt decision — the Pope’s wheelchair was already in place for the parade — and the statement’s lack of context have raised questions about the Pope’s health and how long he can lead the Church and its 1.3 billion followers.
“The Via Crucis of a Fragile Pope” was the Saturday headline in La Stampa, while Il Messaggero reported on a “renunciation of Francis.”
A Vatican source told AFP on Friday that there was “no particular concern” about his health and that the decision to withdraw was “simply a measure of caution”.
The Argentine Jesuit also withdrew his participation in the “Via Crucis” in 2023, but this came after a three-day hospital stay for bronchitis and was notified well in advance. Weeks later, he had a hernia procedure.
Until Friday, the Pope has attended his many Holy Week activities, although he has recently appeared fatigued and has outsourced speaking roles to subordinates. In December, he canceled his planned attendance at the COP28 summit in Dubai.
Francis, like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who became the first pope since the Middle Ages to willingly step down in 2013, has already indicated that he may step down if he is unable to continue in office.
However, in a book published last month, Francis stated that he had “no cause serious enough to make me consider resigning.”
He described resignation as a “distant possibility” that would only be justifiable in the case of “a serious physical impediment.”