Pope Francis overcame concerns about his health to lead Easter Sunday Mass on March 31 at the Vatican.
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the mass in St. Peter's Square covered with flowers in one of the most important liturgies of the year.
Just hours after celebrating a 2,5-hour nighttime Easter vigil, 87-year-old Pope Francis appeared in fine form at the start of the liturgy.
Francis, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, struggled all winter with respiratory problems that the Vatican and he said were bronchitis, flu or a cold.
Until March 29, the pope was present for various duties, but lately he appeared tired and sometimes delegated his speeches to colleagues.
Holy Week, which culminates in Easter Sunday, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is a key part of the Catholic calendar, and the numerous ceremonies held on the occasion are quite a marathon for Pope Francis, who has been using a wheelchair for two years.
The Pope, who has never been on vacation before, was last on a trip in September, in the French city of Marseille. In December, he canceled a long-awaited appearance at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
The next trip, to Venice, is planned for April 28. The Vatican has not yet confirmed whether he will go on a planned trip to Asia and the Pacific countries this summer.
Franjo had previously left open the possibility of retiring if he was no longer able to do his job. In doing so, he would follow the example of his predecessor Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down.
However, in a memoir published this month, Francis wrote that he "does not have a sufficiently serious reason to resign." Deviation is a "remote possibility" that would only be justified in the case of "serious physical impairments," he wrote.
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