Pope Leo XIV opens Holy Week with Palm Sunday that recalls final days of Pope Francis' life

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Palm Sunday earlier tens of thousands of group successful St. Peter's Square, arsenic he opened his first Holy Week arsenic pontiff that for galore group recalled nan final, suffering days of Pope Francis’ life.

The ceremony began pinch a convoy of cardinals, bishops, priests and laypeople stepping into nan quadrate carrying oliva branches and thenar fronds, immoderate intricately braided. They stopped astatine nan cardinal obelisk, wherever Leo delivered an opening prayer, and past processed toward nan altar to statesman nan Mass.

Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entranceway into Jerusalem successful nan clip starring up to his crucifixion, which Christians observe connected Good Friday, and resurrection connected Easter Sunday.

When Holy Week opened past year, Francis was still recovering astatine nan Vatican aft a five-week infirmary enactment for double pneumonia. He had delegated nan liturgical celebrations to others, but rallied connected Easter Sunday to shake hands nan religious from nan loggia of St. Peter’s Square. Most poignantly, he past made what became his last popemobile loop astir nan piazza.

Francis died nan pursuing morning, Easter Monday, aft suffering a stroke. His nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, later told Vatican Media that Francis had told him: “Thank you for bringing maine backmost to nan square” for nan last salute.

Leo is owed to preside complete this week’s liturgical appointments and is returning to contented pinch nan Holy Thursday feet-wash ceremonial that commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper pinch his disciples.

During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated nan Holy Thursday ritual by travelling to Rome-area prisons and exile centers to lavation nan feet of group astir connected society’s margins. His purpose was to thrust location nan ritual’s connection of work and humility, and he would often muse during his Holy Thursday homilies “Why them and not me?”

Francis’ motion had been praised arsenic a tangible grounds of his belief that nan religion must spell to nan peripheries to find those astir successful request of God’s emotion and mercy. But immoderate critics bristled astatine nan yearly outings, particularly since Francis would besides lavation nan feet of Muslims and group of different faiths.

Leo, history’s first U.S.-born pope, is returning nan Holy Thursday foot-wash contented to nan basilica of St. John Lateran, wherever popes performed it for decades. The Vatican hasn’t yet said who will participate, though Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II usually washed nan feet of 12 priests.

On Friday, Leo is owed to preside complete nan Good Friday convoy astatine Rome’s Colosseum commemorating Christ’s Passion and crucifixion. Saturday brings nan precocious nighttime Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize caller Catholics, followed a fewer hours later by Easter Sunday erstwhile Christians commemorate nan resurrection of Jesus.

Leo will observe Easter Sunday Mass successful St. Peter’s Square and past present his Easter blessing from nan loggia of nan basilica.

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