Pope Francis created a surprise entrance in St. Peter’s Square during Sunday’s special Jubilee Mass for sickness and healthcare workers, documenting the first public appearance at the Vatican since leaving the hospital two weeks ago after a life-threatening match against pneumonia.
The bishop stood and waved to the crowd of followers who clapped as he was pushed into an unforeseen wheelchair in front of the altar in the square. “I will see the Pope!” he cried out. When his image first appears on the big screen, it shows him passing through the sacred door before he lowers the lamp to the altar.
“A good Sunday for everyone,” Francis said. I spoke to the microphone. He tapped to make sure it was working on a second attempt. “thank you.”
After five weeks of hospitalization, the Pope heard the voice of the Pope more strongly than when he spoke to a wealthy man outside Gemeri Hospital on March 23rd on his release day.
He wears the nasal tube and receives supplemental oxygen, but says the Vatican is gradually decreasing. His arm movements remained limited as he blessed the crowd. His doctors said he had nothing to do with his illness and suffered unspecified trauma before he was admitted to the hospital on February 14th.
After the Mass, the clergy welcomed some of the people who supported the service. He left the square through the sacred door.
The Pope shares his experiences of illness
Francis has completed at least two months of physician order rest as he continues his physical, respiratory and speech therapy.
The Pope mentioned the experience of illness both in the traditional Sunday blessings and in Homily, read by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, organizer of the Holy Year, which is expected to bring about 30 million pilgrims to Rome.
Speaking to the sick among the crowd, the Pope said in Homily, which Fischella read, “At this moment in my life, I share a lot of things. I rely on others for so many things and need support.
“It’s not easy, but it’s a school where we learn every day that we love, love ourselves, without rejecting, without regrets, without despair, without despair, to thank God and our brethren, to trust that we still receive and to trust that we still come.”
He also said, “We have urged faithful people not to push fragile things from their lives, as unfortunately certain mentalities do today. Let’s not drain the pain from our surroundings. Let’s instead use an opportunity to grow together and cultivate hope.”
In a traditional Sunday blessing, he prayed to doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, “sometimes praying for victims of attacks who are not always helped to work in inadequate circumstances. Their mission is not easy, they must be supported and respected.”
The faithful were impressed by the unexpected look of the Pope.
“It’s beautiful and I never thought I’d see the Pope, so something completely unexpected,” said Pasquale Citroro of Trapani, Sicily. “He gave us this gift instead.”
Linda Erezi of Ancona’s Adriatic Coast Province said she was moved by the Pope’s “surprise.”
“We pray for him every day, he prays for us, for peace and for all wold, because that is our pilgrimage message today.
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Barry reported from Milan.
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