Following an unannounced visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday, Pope Francis made another surprise appearance on Sunday morning, riding through St. Peter’s Square in his wheelchair after Palm Sunday Mass.
Amid applause and prayers, the Pope greeted and blessed the faithful.
After touring the square, the Pope returned to his residence at Casa Santa Marta.
In his Palm Sunday homily—read by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri to the crowd gathered in the square—Pope Francis wrote:
“When we see the crowds of men and women consumed by hatred and violence making their way to Calvary, let us remember that the Lord transforms this path into a place of redemption, because He walked it giving His life for us.”
He added:
“In the face of the cruel injustice of evil, bearing the cross of Christ is never in vain—on the contrary, it is the most concrete way to share in His saving love.”
Pope Francis is still recovering from illness, after spending 38 days at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome due to double pneumonia, which at times became critical, according to his doctors.
