Pontiff, who is recovering from severe bout of pneumonia, also held short meeting with US vice-president JD Vance
\n St Peter\u2019s
\nPope Francis, who is recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia, marked Easter Sunday by blessing thousands of people who had gathered for mass in St Peter\u2019s Square and then embarking on a surprise popemobile tour around the piazza.
\nThe 88-year-old pontiff, who nearly died during his recent five-week stay at Rome\u2019s Gemelli hospital, did not celebrate mass in the square, delegating the service instead to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St Peter\u2019s Basilica.
\nWhen mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance, prompting huge cheers.
\n\u201cBrothers and sisters, happy Easter!\u201d he said, his voice sounding stronger than it has for weeks. The crowd, which responded with chants of \u201cViva il Papa!\u201d or Long live the Pope! and \u201cBravo!\u201d, was delighted when Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it. He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago when he was fighting for his life.
\n\u201cIt is excellent, a miracle,\u201d said Margarita Torres Hern\u00e1ndez, a pilgrim from Mexico who was in the square. \u201cNow that he has come out, for me it\u2019s a miracle, it\u2019s something very big, very beautiful.\u201d
\nMarcin Popowsky, a pilgrim from Poland, said he had been very touched to see the pope: \u201cWe\u2019re very happy that we can see a pope in good shape,\u201d he said.
\nFrancis has made only a handful of public appearances after leaving hospital and returning to the Vatican on 23 March. He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, but had been expected to make an appearance on Sunday to celebrate the most important day in the Christian calendar.
\nIn accordance with his doctors\u2019 orders for two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function, he has cut back his workload.
\nHe did, however, find time on Sunday to meet the US vice-president, JD Vance, who had had \u201can exchange of opinions\u201d with the Vatican\u2019s secretary of state over international conflicts and immigration when they met a day earlier. Vance and Francis have previously disagreed very publicly over the Trump administration\u2019s attitudes to migrants and migration.
\nAccording to a short statement from the Vatican, Vance met Francis at his residence for a few moments on Sunday morning \u201cto exchange Easter greetings\u201d.
\nIn the traditional Urbi et Orbi message, which was read out on his behalf, Francis reminded Roman Catholics that Easter was a day of joyful resurrection but lamented the \u201ccontempt \u2026 stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants\u201d.
\nHe also stressed the importance of using Easter to \u201crevive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas. For all of us are children of God\u201d.
\nHe went on to remind people of the suffering in Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, among many other places.
\n\u201cI appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear, which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThese are the \u2018weapons\u2019 of peace, weapons that build the future instead of sowing seeds of death.\u201d
\nThe team of doctors who treated the pope for pneumonia revealed last month that he had come so close to death that they had to choose whether \u201cto let him go, or push forward\u201d.
\nFrancis suffered four breathing crises during his stay in hospital, the most critical episode being on 28 February, when he inhaled his vomit.
\n\u201cWe were all aware that the situation had further worsened and there was a risk that he would not make it,\u201d Sergio Alfieri, a general surgeon at Gemelli hospital, said in an interview with Corriere della Sera published at the end of March.
\n\u201cWe had to choose whether to stop and let him go, or push forward and try with all the drugs and therapies possible, running the very high risk of damaging other organs. In the end, we took this path.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pontiff, who is recovering from severe bout of pneumonia, also held short meeting with US vice-president JD Vance St Peter\u2019s Pope Francis, who is recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia, marked Easter Sunday by blessing thousands of people who had gathered for mass in St Peter\u2019s Square and then embarking on a surprise popemobile […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-473671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n