Pope Francis asked to avoid feelings of “defeat” and not to lose hope in the current “times of war”, during the Easter Vigil, held this Saturday night in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Francisco, who just a week ago left the hospital after being admitted for bronchitis, presided over the rite from one side of the altar, as he did last year due to his knee problems, and only read the homily for this celebration, which commemorates the wait for the resurrection of Jesus.
According to estimates by the Holy See, some 8,000 faithful lived in person the most symbolic moments of the Paschal Mass, such as the blessing of the fire, the lighting of the paschal candle, and the inscription of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha and omega), which symbolize that God is the beginning and the end.
The ceremony began in the dark with a solemn procession that toured the imposing Basilica of San Padre, to which the Pontiff arrived in a wheelchair. The temple was illuminated thanks to the attendees, among whom were 40 cardinals and 25 bishops, who lit the candles one by one to put an end to the darkness, which represents the absence of light after the death of Jesus Christ.
In this long ceremony, lasting almost three hours, passages from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are read, in languages ​​such as Latin, Italian, French and Spanish. In addition, the tradition of the early years of the Church is followed, that of the catechumens, the adults who aspired to convert to Christianity.
Following the tradition of the first Christians, Pope Francis also baptized eight adults from Albania, the United States, Nigeria, Italy and Venezuela from his chair.
