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CV NEWS FEED // In a surprise visit, Pope Francis greeted pilgrims at St. Peter’s Square after Palm Sunday Mass.
Vatican News reported April 13 that the Pope stayed in the square with pilgrims for about 10 minutes before praying for a few moments inside St. Peter’s Basilica in front of the tomb of St. Peter and the tomb of Saint Pius X. He also prayed before a monument dedicated to Pope Benedict XV.
Pope Francis wrote the Palm Sunday homily, which College of Cardinals vice dean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who presided over the Mass read, Vatican News reported. The homily reflected on how the same crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem cheered for His death just a few days later.
The Pope also reflected on Simon of Cyrene’s role in carrying the cross. Though the Scriptures do not indicate whether Simon was willing to help, he became part of salvation history, the pontiff noted.
“Jesus bore them for love of us, in obedience to the Father; he suffered with us and for us,” the Pope added. “In this unexpected and astonishing way, Simon of Cyrene becomes part of the history of salvation, in which no one is a stranger, no one a foreigner.”
The Pope wrote that each Christian is called to become like Simon by helping others carry their crosses.
“How many Simons of Cyrene are there in our own day, bearing the cross of Christ on their shoulders!” he wrote. “Can we recognize them? Can we see the Lord in their faces, marred by the burden of war and deprivation? Faced with the appalling injustice of evil, we never carry the cross of Christ in vain; on the contrary, it is the most tangible way for us to share in his redemptive love.”
>> Pope Francis makes surprise appearance at St. Peter’s Basilica <<
