Catholic faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the Christian calendar, hoping Pope Francis would make an appearance despite health issues that have kept him from most Holy Week events.

The 88-year-old pontiff traditionally delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from a balcony overlooking the square following Mass. But following recent treatment for pneumonia, it remained unclear whether the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics would be present — and in what capacity.

The Holy See’s press service said the pope hopes to attend, but his participation depends on his health.

That didn’t stop crowds from filling the sprawling plaza under hazy skies. Decorated with brightly colored tulips in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, the square was full of pilgrims and tourists eager for a glimpse of the Jesuit pope.

Marie Manda, 59, from Cameroon, remained hopeful.

"Of course we hope to see the pope but if he's not here and he's still suffering we'll see his representative," she told AFP.
"But we want to see the pope, even sick we want to see him!"

Indian tourist Rajesh Kumar, 40, said he had not planned to be there for the occasion.

"After coming here we realised there is a festival going on, the pope is going to give a speech, so we just entered and we are ready for it," he said.

Francis was discharged from the hospital on March 23 after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia, from which he reportedly nearly died. Though his breathing has improved, his voice remains weak. In recent days, he has appeared twice in public without a nasal cannula, which he had been using for oxygen.

The pope may choose to delegate the reading of his Easter message — usually a reflection on global conflicts and crises — to another clergy member.

This year marks the first time since his election in 2013 that Francis has missed most Holy Week events. He was absent from the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum and from Saturday night’s Easter Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, where cardinals led in his place.

He did, however, make a brief appearance inside the basilica on Saturday, offering prayers and distributing candies to visiting children.

Roughly 300 cardinals, bishops, and priests were expected to participate in Sunday’s Easter Mass. Organizers anticipated larger-than-usual crowds due to the Jubilee, a “Holy Year” that takes place once every 25 years and draws thousands of pilgrims to Rome.

U.S. Vice President in Rome

The weekend was also notable for the presence of U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Rome. On Saturday, Vance held talks with the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States.

The meetings came just two months after tensions flared between Pope Francis and President Donald Trump’s administration over its immigration policies.

Neither the Vatican nor Vance’s office have confirmed whether he would meet Francis or attend Sunday’s Mass.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over Saturday night’s solemn Easter Vigil.

Earlier in the week, Francis made only one official Holy Week appearance — a visit to a Rome jail. He did not perform the traditional foot-washing ritual that symbolizes Christ’s humility.

When asked by a journalist after the visit how he was experiencing Holy Week given his condition, the pope replied: “I am living it as best I can.”

Rare Christian calendar convergence

This year’s Easter is notable for coinciding across Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox branches of Christianity — a rarity due to the differing calendars typically used.