The appearance comes after the Pope's notable absence from the Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, a decision the Vatican attributed to the necessity of conserving the Pope's health for the solemnity of Saturday's Mass.
In his homily, Pope Francis addressed the metaphorical 'tombstones' that burden our lives, and "rob us of the enthusiasm and strength to go on," likening them to the heavy stones that seal tombs, entombing us in "armored walls of selfishness and indifference."
Francis lamented the ways in which these barriers thwart our efforts to foster more compassionate, just societies, highlighting the profound impact of "hopes for peace shattered by the cruelty of hatred and the brutality of war." Yet, he said, Jesus Christ's resurrection was the divine force capable of moving humanity from darkness into light.
Francis also welcomed eight adults into the Christian faith through baptism. The group included four Italians, two South Koreans, one Albanian, and one Japanese.
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Source: PAP, IAR