Pope Francis, 87, presides over Easter Vigil service after pulling out of Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum for health reasons

Pope Francis will preside over the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening, just hours after a last-minute cancellation for health reasons forced him to miss a Good Friday procession in Rome, the Vatican has confirmed.

The 87-year-old pope was expected to preside over last night’s procession of the Way of the Cross, a re-enactment of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, but he declined to cancel the event. ‘maintain his health.’

On Saturday, the Vatican daily confirmed that Pope Francis would lead the long vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the most solemn and important moments in the Catholic liturgical calendar.

The service, which starts at 7.30pm and usually lasts two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism for eight adult converts.

Francis, who had part of a lung removed as a young man, struggled throughout the winter months with breathing problems that made it difficult for him to speak for long periods of time.

The service, which starts at 7.30pm and usually lasts two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism for eight adult converts.

Pope Francis arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica in a wheelchair on Good Friday and withdrew from a procession at Rome’s Colosseum several hours later to ‘preserve his health’

He has canceled a number of audiences and often asked an assistant to read some of his speeches.

But he canceled his Palm Sunday sermon altogether and decided at the last minute to stay home yesterday (Friday) rather than preside over the Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum.

The Vatican said in a brief statement that the decision was made to “preserve his health” in view of Saturday’s vigil and his even heavier tax obligations on Easter Sunday.

Earlier on Friday, the Pope presided over the Liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ in St. Peter’s Basilica after arriving at the event in a wheelchair.

The liturgy, a form of Christian worship, replaces the Good Friday Mass and commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

The Pope will preside over morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square and deliver his Urbi et Orbi (for the city and the world) speech, praying for an end to global crises.

While Francis also skipped last year’s chilly Good Friday procession as he was recovering from bronchitis, his sudden absence this year raised concerns.

His chair was in place on the stage and his assistants were preparing for his arrival when the Vatican announced five minutes before the official start time that he would not be present.

In addition to his breathing problems, Francis had a piece of his colon removed in 2021 and was hospitalized twice last year, including once to remove intestinal scar tissue from previous surgeries to address diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall.

He has been using a wheelchair or walking stick for almost two years due to poor knee ligaments.

In his recently published memoir, Life: My Story Through History, Francis said he is not suffering from health problems that would require him to resign and that he still has “many projects to accomplish.”

The Via Crucis at the Colosseum is a reenactment of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, with participants taking turns holding the cross as they walk in and around the ancient Roman arena, stopping to pray and listen to meditations.

Elsewhere in the world, Christians of various denominations also commemorated Good Friday.

In Jerusalem, worshipers took part in a limited Good Friday service due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The day’s processions, which normally attract thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most of the observers were Palestinian Christians, accompanied by some foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few intrepid tourists.

The traditional Good Friday procession runs along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixion. Groups of Israeli police set up barricades along the path and ushered shoppers into the bustling Muslim quarter of the Old City to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.

A young group of Palestinians led the day’s procession, passing through fourteen stations along the route, each marking an event that happened to Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians followed in their wake. Behind them was a small parade of the Franciscan religious order, composed mainly of foreigners living in Jerusalem.

The celebrations coincided with the third Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with worshipers once again flocking to the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers.

Despite fears that the ongoing war would lead to clashes at the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque, the month so far has been peaceful under tight Israeli security.

Palestinian Christians take part in the Good Friday procession in the Old City of Jerusalem. The day’s processions, which normally attract thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most observers were Palestinian Christians