Pope Francis was cheered by the people he led for 12 years during his final few hours as pontiff, emerging from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless thousands in St Peter’s Square. He then treated Catholics to a surprise ride through the piazza in the pope-mobile, prompting more cheers and applause from well-wishers.
The crowd shouted “Viva il Papa” (long live the pope) as Francis was driven around the square in the open-topped vehicle, stopping occasionally to bless babies. Francis told the crowd, “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter”, hours before his death at the age of 88 on Easter Monday (April 21).
Francis didn’t celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica.
But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes and imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.
The crowd of people below, estimated by the Vatican to be more than 35,000, erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See anthem.
Those people will now be mourning the loss of history’s first Latin American pontiff whose humility and concern for the poor as well as the environment charmed the world and resonated with many.
Before arriving at the basilica, Francis met briefly in his hotel with US Vice President JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family. The Vatican said the encounter lasted just a few minutes and was designed to allow for an exchange of Easter greetings.
Francis, for his part, gave Mr Vance three big chocolate Easter eggs to give to his three young children. Mr Vance told the Pope: “I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you in better health. Thank you for seeing me.”
The pontiff had only appeared in public a handful of times since returning to the Vatican after a 38-day hospital stay.
He missed the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but he had been expected to make an appearance on Sunday.
Doctors had prescribed two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function after he came down with a life-threatening case of double pneumonia.
He had seemed to muster great effort to project his voice, and his breathing remained laboured before his death, but his voice sounded stronger than it had in the few words he uttered from the loggia on Easter Sunday.
Before then, Francis’s biggest outing had been a visit to a prison in Rome to spend Holy Thursday with inmates. The visit made clear one of his priorities: to spend time with people most on the margins.
Francis made his first public appearance since his bout of double pneumonia on April 6, when he appeared in St Peter’s Square in a wheelchair during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the pontiff at the Vatican on April 9, the day Charles and Camilla celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.
