Pope Francis presided over Palm Sunday Mass on April 2, a day after leaving the hospital due to bronchitis, and in his homily defended the “deserted” of the world: “No one can be marginalized,” he said in front of thousands of people. and with the voice still weak during this Eucharist that opens Holy Week.
“Forsaken Jesus asks us to have eyes and a heart for the forsaken. For us disciples of the Forsaken, no one can be marginalized; no one can be left behind,” he encouraged before a decorated St. Peter’s Square filled with with fidelity.
In this sense, he recalled a dead beggar in the Vatican colonnade “alone and desolate” and who, he said, represents Christ.
“Many need our closeness, many forsaken, I also need Jesus to caress me, to be close to me, which is why I am going to look for him in the abandoned and the lonely,” he said.
In his first public appearance, after being hospitalized for three days with bronchitis at the age of 86, Francisco, dressed in a long white coat, meditated on the words of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross: “My God, my God , why did you give up?”
In this sense, he explained that “the verb ‘to leave’ in the Bible is strong” and “appears in moments of extreme pain”, and for this reason the memory of Christ should move his followers to “seek and love him.” have in the desolation”. of our time.
“Today there are so many ‘forsaken Christs.’ People who are classified as trouble,” he complained, raising his voice.
But, he insisted, there are also many “Christs thrown out with a white glove” such as “unborn children, the elderly who have been left alone, in nursing homes, the unvisited sick, the ignored handicapped, young people who have a great inner sense to have.” emptiness without anyone really listening. his cry of pain.”
Francis, still recovering, appeared in St. Peter’s Square before some 30,000 faithful – according to figures from the Holy See – after spending three days in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital due to bronchitis that came on after the general audience last Wednesday.
Before Mass, he was taken in an open car to the center of the square, at the foot of the obelisk, to bless the olive and palm branches that the faithful, nuns, and members of the Curia had carried in procession. recalling the triumphal entry of Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem.
He got out of the car on his own foot and then walked a few feet to the place set up for the blessing, using the cane he often uses because of his knee problems.
The Argentine pope then went to the front of the basilica, always by car and with his own palm, to preside from there at the mass, which was presided over by a cardinal, today the Argentine Leonardo Sandri, a formula that has been used all the time will be repeated. week. Santa Claus.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
