Pope Francis, despite recent health struggles, made a short but poignant appearance on Easter Sunday, greeting a crowd of 35,000 from a wheelchair on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
“Happy Easter,” he said in a faint voice, receiving warm applause from the flower-filled square below. Due to his fragile condition after pneumonia treatment, the 88-year-old pontiff delegated the reading of the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing to a colleague.
His address, read on his behalf, condemned the “deplorable” situation in Gaza and rising “anti-Semitism,” reflecting his concern for global crises.
Earlier, the Pope met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance in a private Easter exchange. The Vatican had kept his participation uncertain until the last moment.
“I am living it as best I can,” Francis told a journalist when asked about experiencing Easter amid illness.
Though he missed most Holy Week events this year, his presence, however brief, moved many in the crowd. “Even sick, we want to see him,” said Marie Manda, a visitor from Cameroon.
