Pope Francis again leads Easter Mass

Pope Francis asked to avoid the feeling of “defeat” and not lose hope in the current “times of war”, during his reappearance before Easter Mass celebrated this Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The pontiff, who has just A week ago he was discharged from the hospital with bronchitis, he led the ceremony from the altar, as he had done the previous year due to a knee problem, and only read the sermon for this celebration, dedicated to the expectation of the resurrection of Jesus.

The Holy See estimates that around 8,000 believers personally experienced the most symbolic moments of the Easter mass, such as the blessing of the fire, the lighting of the Easter candle. and the inscription of the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet (alpha and omega)which symbolize that God is the beginning and the end.

The ceremony began in the dark with a solemn procession that circled the imposing Basilica of San Padre, where the pontiff arrived in a wheelchair. The temple was lit thanks to helpersamong which were 40 cardinals and 25 bishops who lit candles one by one to put an end to darkness, which is the absence of light after the death of Jesus Christ.

In this long ceremony, lasting almost three hours, passages from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are read in languages such as Latin, Italian, French and Spanish. Except, the tradition of the first years of the existence of the Church is observed.one of the catechumens, adults who sought to convert to Christianity.

Following the tradition of the early Christians, Pope Francis also baptized eight adults from his chair. from Albania, USA, Nigeria, Italy and Venezuela.

The Pope asks not to lose hope during the war

In his speech on a world at war and in which sometimes “it seems that the law of the strongest wins”Pope Francis asked not to be carried away by the feeling of “defeat” with the meaning of Easter as an occasion “not to lose hope”.

We have felt helpless and discouraged in the face of the forces of evil, the conflicts that break relationships, the logic of calculation and indifference that seems to rule society, the cancer of corruption, the spread of injustice, the icy winds of war. .

Tomorrow, unless other changes are announced, Pope Francis plans to celebrate Mass on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.where he will give his Easter message and give the blessing to Urbi et Orbi.

According to EFE

Source: Aristegui Noticias

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