By Ed Malik, A | ed@ddnewsonline.com | posted 20 April, 2025
The Vatican’s Easter celebration this year was especially poignant, given Pope Francis’ absence from presiding over the Mass due to his health. At 88, his resilience has been remarkable, especially coming off a serious 38-day hospital stay for double pneumonia.
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In his place, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, celebrated the open-air Mass before thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and delivered the homily that Francis had prepared. Having Cardinal Comastri step in was a thoughtful choice, given his long-standing service to the Church.
It’s heartening to know that despite his limited appearances, Francis is still contributing spiritually, as seen in the homily he prepared. He has only appeared in public a handful of times since returning to the Vatican on March 23 after a 38-day hospital stay. He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but he was expected to make an appearance on Sunday, according to the Mass booklet and liturgical plans released by the Vatican.
The vibrant floral display from the Netherlands was a beautiful surreal sight —a tradition that brings life and color to St. Peter’s Square, even on a brisk spring morning.
Easter is the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar, when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion. This year, Easter is being celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and has been marked by Russia’s announced a temporary Easter truce in its war in Ukraine.
Easter at the Vatican traditionally involves a Mass and the pope’s Urbi et Orbi blessing (Latin for “to the city and the world”), a speech delivered from the loggia over the basilica entrance which is usually a roundup of global hotspots and human suffering. It remained to be seen if Francis would appear to pronounce the speech or just impart the apostolic blessing at the end.
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Francis has sharply cut back his workload as he follows doctors’ orders of two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function. He still seems to require great effort to project his voice, and his breathing remains labored.
Before Sunday, his biggest outing had been a visit to Rome’s downtown prison to spend Holy Thursday with inmates. The visit made clear his priorities as he slowly recovers: to spend time with the people most on the margins.