Francis presided over the Mass of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter’s Square on the last Sunday before Easter, March 24. The commemoration of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem precedes the mass, the Gospel passage of which tells the story of his Passion.
Adriana Masotti – Vatican City
It was in Saint Peter’s Square where 60,000 people gathered for the opening of Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday, that the faithful were able to relive the Passion of the Lord through the story of the evangelist Mark. Shortly before, the Holy Father had blessed and sprinkled the palm leaves and olive branches, carried by the faithful and the procession of 400 concelebrants – 30 cardinals, 25 bishops and 350 priests. The Mass, presided over by the Pope, was celebrated by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches.
Celebration of Palm Sunday mass in Saint Peter’s Square
The passion of Christ
The liturgy of the Word of the Eucharistic celebration includes the sung reading of the Passion of Jesus in three voices. The passages of Christ’s suffering are relived in all their rawness. The reconstruction of the Passion was followed by a time of silence, as if to internalize all the suffering of Christ, which contains the pains of all times and of all humanity. A celebration without a homily during which the Pope preferred to leave room for silence and meditation on the Passion.
It is for humanity, again, that the faithful raise their intentions for universal prayer. We pray for the Church, that it “always seeks unity, reconciliation and communion”; for rulers “called to cultivate peace and the good of people”; for all men and women who suffer; for persecuted Christians; for each Christian community, so that it “bears witness to its own faith, in prayer and in charity”.
Celebration of Palm Sunday mass in Saint Peter’s Square
At the end of the celebration, directly from the square in front of the basilica, Francis recited the Marian prayer of the Angelus, before giving his blessing and making a wide tour in his Popemobile among the faithful and pilgrims to greet them with a wave of the hand and a smile.
Celebration of Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square
Before the Angelus prayer on Sunday March 24 of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord, the Pope asked to pray for the populations victims of violence and wars, …