Pope Francis broke tradition during the start of Holy Week, skipping a reading of his annual Palm Sunday homily during Mass.
Reuters reported that the Pope was in front of tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square when he skipped the homily but continued to run the service before circling the crowd.
The 87-year-old reportedly had bronchitis and influenza in recent weeks, leading to him having an aide read his addresses for him.
On Sunday, however, his text was not read at all.
The Vatican did not provide an explanation for why Francis skipped the homily and following the Mass, the pope delivered the weekly Sunday Angelus message and blessing from the altar.
“Francis had been expected to deliver a homily halfway through the service and a prepared text had been distributed to journalists,” The Associated Press reported Sunday.
“But when an aide presented Francis with his glasses to begin reading, the pope made clear he wouldn’t deliver the remarks, leaving the crowd waiting in silence … Vatican officials didn’t immediately explain why,” the report said.
