By Victoria Cardiel
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 18:00 pm
The Vatican has published the official calendar of liturgical celebrations planned for Holy Week, but it has not clarified whether Pope Francis will preside.
The pontiff was discharged on Sunday after spending 38 days in the hospital with double pneumonia, but doctors have prescribed complete rest for at least two months. It is expected that he will be able to resume his full schedule by the end of May.
The Holy See Press Office indicated that it will be necessary to monitor “the improvement of the pope’s health in the coming weeks to assess his possible presence, and under what conditions, at the Holy Week rites.”
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, papal master of ceremonies, announced the planned Holy Week schedule, which will begin on Palm Sunday, April 13, with Mass in St. Peter’s Square at 10 a.m. local time, commemorating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
On Thursday, April 17, the chrism Mass is scheduled in St. Peter’s Basilica at 9:30 a.m., during which the holy oils will be blessed and priests will renew their priestly vows. In previous years, Pope Francis has traveled from the Vatican to a prison in Rome to commemorate the Lord’s Supper, in remembrance of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist, during which he would wash the feet of 12 people.
The following day, Good Friday, the Catholic Church celebrates the passion of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5 p.m. In previous years, Pope Francis has participated in the services at St. Peter’s Basilica, but the homily has typically been given by the preacher of the papal household, currently Franciscan Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini. This is the only day of the year on which there is no consecration as a sign of mourning for the passion of Jesus.
At 9:15 p.m., the traditional Way of the Cross will take place in Rome’s Colosseum, where the 14 stations of the Passion are meditated upon, from Jesus’ condemnation to death to his burial, in one of the most widely followed ceremonies by the faithful in Rome.
