Pope Francis condemns ‘darkness of war’ in Ukraine at Easter vigil service – National
Pope Francis condemned the cruelty of the conflict in Ukraine on Saturday at an Easter vigil Mass he attended however at which he didn’t preside, presumably due to leg ache that has pressured him to curtail actions.
The Mass was attended by Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, who was detained by Russian forces final month and later freed in a prisoner trade.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re changed the pope as the principle celebrant on the service, which concerned a procession in near-total darkness up the central nave of Christendom’s largest church.
The pope sat on the entrance of the basilica in a big white chair on the aspect, appeared alert and stood in the course of the studying of the gospel.
He learn his homily whereas sitting however in his regular voice.
The pope departed from his ready textual content to acknowledge the presence of Fedorov, his household and three Ukrainian parliamentarians sitting within the entrance.
He spoke of the “darkness of conflict, of cruelty”.
“All of us pray for you and with you. We pray as a result of there’s a lot struggling. We will solely offer you our firm, our prayers and say to you ‘braveness, we accompany you,’” Francis stated.
He ended by saying “Christ is risen” in Ukrainian.
Presiding on the Mass, which was attended by 5,500 folks, would have required lengthy intervals of standing in the course of the chanting and gospel readings, genuflecting on the altar and baptising seven grownup converts.
The 85-year-old pope suffers from sciatica, which causes ache in a single leg and leads to a pronounced limp. Just lately Francis additionally has had a flare up of ache in his proper knee.
The situation seems to return and go.
A programme issued by the Vatican on Friday listed the pope as chief celebrant on the Saturday night service. The Vatican gave no official purpose for the change.
On Friday afternoon, the pope was nicely sufficient to stroll your complete aisle each firstly and the top of a Good Friday service within the basilica however he didn’t prostrate himself on the ground as he usually does throughout that service.
He needed to curtail a few of his actions throughout a visit to Malta firstly of April and likewise needed to ask a cardinal to face in for him at a Mass in December.
The Holy Week actions, which culminate on Sunday, mark the primary time since 2019 that the general public has been allowed to attend following two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
On Easter Sunday, crucial day within the Christian liturgical calendar, he is because of say Mass in St. Peter’s Sq. after which ship his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to town and the world) message and blessing.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Enhancing by Christina Fincher)
