04/02/2021 4:54 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 04/02/2021 4:54 PM
In the middle of another Holy Week marked by the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica where
he prostrated himself on the ground
, in front of the altar, to pray for a few minutes for the Passion of the Christ.
The Supreme Pontiff lay on the floor of the Vatican basilica during this Good Friday in which the Church remembers the drama of the death of Christ on the Cross.
Francis wore
purple
vestments
in memory of the blood of Christ shed on the Cross in a basilica completely devoid of ornament and
illuminated by a soft light
in keeping with the sobriety of the ceremony.
The Pope prayed on the ground to remember the Passion of Christ.
After those minutes of silent prayer the Pope got up and thus began with the proclamation of the Liturgy of the Word.
Due to the health situation, the cardinals and the superiors of the Secretary of the Vatican State participated in the Mass.
On the other hand, the participation of the faithful
was very limited
.
Francisco later presided over the Stations of the Cross.
For yet another year, the pandemic forced the Holy Father to develop it in St. Peter's Square and
not in the Colosseum in Rome
to avoid crowds.
Visit homeless
Earlier, Bergoglio visited some of the homeless people
the Vatican is vaccinating against the coronavirus
.
Francis dressed in purple in remembrance of the blood of Christ shed on the Cross.
"This morning, Good Friday, shortly before 10 o'clock, the Pope visited the atrium of the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican while some homeless people or people in difficulty were being vaccinated, received or accompanied by some Roman associations," the office said. of the Holy See in a statement.
The Pontiff
greeted health personnel
and some of the people who were administered the first dose of the vaccine, added the official text quoted by the Europa Press news agency.
So far, 800 of the 1,200 people planned for the Easter campaign, in which the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is administered, bought by the Holy See and others donated by the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in the Italian capital, have been vaccinated.
Many of the homeless people are
foreigners without documentation
who are left
out of the lists of the authorities for vaccination
or who have difficulty accessing to register to receive the drug.
"On the use of the vaccine, the Pope repeatedly encouraged people to get vaccinated, because it is a way of
exercising responsibility towards others
and the collective well-being, strongly reiterating that
everyone should have access
, without anyone being excluded
due to poverty,
"stated the Apostolic Alimony on its website.
With information from DPA and Télam.
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Holy Week: Good Friday, the day when mass is celebrated nowhere on the planet