Pope Francis has celebrated Palm Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square a day after leaving hospital where he was treated for severe bronchitis.
Francis, 86, arrived in the square, in which more than 30,000 people had gathered, onboard the popemobile. The vehicle stopped by the ancient obelisk in the centre of the square for the pontiff’s blessing of the palms before transporting him to the altar.
He opened the mass with “a weak and slightly breathless voice”, Italian media reported.
In his homily, he called on the faithful to “take care of those who are left alone”. “There are entire populations who are exploited and left to their own devices,” he said. “There are migrants who are no longer faces but numbers, rejected inmates and people categorised as problems.”
“I’m still alive,” the pope said after his discharge on Saturday from Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he underwent a series of tests after experiencing breathing difficulties and chest pain. As he greeted well-wishers outside the hospital he embraced an emotional mother whose five-year-old daughter had died in the hospital overnight. Asked by reporters if he had been afraid during his hospital stay, the pope said: “No, afraid no.”
Palm Sunday mass, which starts a busy week in the Catholic church calendar in the run-up to Easter, was assisted by cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice-dean of the college of cardinals.
During his angelus prayer the pope thanked the faithful for their “participation and prayers, which intensified during these past days”.
He gave a special blessing for the Caravan of Peace, a charity mission that set off for Ukraine from Italy in recent days. “Along with basic necessities, they are bringing the closeness of the people of Italy to the battered people of Ukraine, and today, they are offering olive branches, symbols of the peace of Christ.
“Let us unite ourselves to this gesture with our prayer, which will be more intense during the days of Holy Week,” he said.
The pontiff will be supported by senior cardinals during other celebrations throughout Holy Week, which includes a procession by the Colosseum in Rome on Good Friday.
Francis, who marked the 10th anniversary of his papacy in March, was taken to hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The Vatican originally said he had been admitted for a checkup that was already on his schedule, but speculation built after planned events were cancelled at the last minute. Tests had ruled out Covid-19, heart problems and pneumonia before the pontiff was diagnosed with bronchitis.
Francis had part of one lung removed in his early 20s while training to be a priest in his native Argentina. In June 2021 he underwent a colon operation and since May last year he has frequently been seen in a wheelchair or using a walking stick because of a knee ailment.
