- By Aleem Maqbool in Vatican City
- Religious Editor, BBC News
Pope recently spent some time in the hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing
In the early hours of a spectacular Easter morning in Vatican City, thousands of people from all over the world waited to be let into St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’ mass.
Once access was opened, nuns and priests were among those who ran to secure a good site, in a square decorated with nearly 40,000 flowers donated by Holland.
A few days ago they might have had doubts about whether Pope Francis, 86, would be well enough to attend Holy Week events at all.
Since he was laid off after what was determined to be a bout of bronchitis, Pope Francis has been able to fulfill most of his obligations, leading masses on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
But for the first time since becoming pope in 2013, he missed the Good Friday evening Via Croese ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome, which commemorates the last hours in Jesus’ life.
At other times during the week, Ali Pope seemed tired and sometimes even breathless.
All of this means that many of those who come to St. Peter’s Square today have spoken of their concerns about what the Pope might look like.
In the end, he seemed unfazed through the 75-minute mass.
But immediately afterwards he seemed particularly energetic, moving along a row of Cardinals in his wheelchair to greet, smile and chat with them, before getting into his convertible to wave to the fans.
Tens of thousands of people flocked to St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday to hear the Pope deliver Mass
“The Pope seemed really healthy,” said Sally, who was visiting from Maidenhead in the UK with her husband and two children.
“The crowd was cheering him on, but he looked happy and it was great to see him in good spirits.”
Eliana, from Liguria in northwest Italy, said: “I was very worried when he was in the hospital and kept me posted because he is very special.
“He wanted to fulfill all his obligations for this Holy Week, and to see him here realize how powerful he is.”
The last of these commitments was to appear on the main porch of St. Peter’s Basilica to offer the blessing of “Europe and Euribe” to “the city and the world”.
Pope Francis has faced criticism from some Ukrainians in the past for appearing to confuse their suffering with that of Russians.
He called for “helping the beloved Ukrainian people on their path to peace,” as well as “to shine the light of Easter on the people of Russia.”
With that, Pope Francis disappeared from view of the estimated 100,000 people who came to see him, and he successfully negotiated the most difficult week of his calendar.
“Subtly charming student. Pop culture junkie. Creator. Amateur music specialist. Beer fanatic.”