The Pope presided over the celebration of this Palm Sunday, the festive entry of the Lord into Jerusalem preceded the mass, at the end he recited the Angelus
From the Editor, with Vatican News
Bishops walk with palms during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on March 24, 2024. / Photo: Jakub Porzycki via Reuters Connect
In a crowded St. Peter’s Square, around 60 thousand faithful, under a sky in which the sun’s rays alternated with the clouds, the celebration of Palm Sunday, presided over by Pope Francis, opened with the commemoration of the entry of the Lord in Jerusalem, from which we read the account of the evangelist Mark, which preceded the celebration of the mass.
The Pope blessed and sprinkled with holy water the olive branches, the symbol of this Sunday (24), which those present held in their hands. Then, a procession was held with more than 400 people carrying the branches, who headed from the center of the square to the sacred. The concelebrating cardinals, bishops and priests took their places beside the altar.
The passion of christ
The change of scene was radical: the Liturgy of the Word of the Eucharistic celebration included the sung reading of the Passion of Jesus, taken again from the Gospel according to Mark. Through the evangelist’s words, the passages of Christ’s suffering were revived.
The re-enactment of the Passion was followed by a moment of silence. A suffering, that of Christ, that contains the pains of all times and of all humanity; and humanity, with its weaknesses, was presented to the Lord in the universal prayer of the faithful that concluded the Liturgy of the Word.
Prayers were made for the Church, so that it “always seeks unity, reconciliation and communion”; by rulers “called to cultivate the peace and good of the people”; for all the men and women who suffer; for persecuted Christians; for the entire Christian community, so that “it may be a witness to its own faith, in prayer and charity”.
At the end of the celebration, directly from the Basilica, Francis pronounced the Angelus, before giving the blessing and taking a wide route in his popemobile to greet the faithful and pilgrims who applauded him in the square.