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CV NEWS FEED // Pope Francis made an unexpected visit to St. Peter’s Basilica April 10, marking his second public appearance outside Casa Santa Marta in less than a week.
Monsignor Valerio Di Palma, a canon of St. Peter’s Basilica, described the moment.
“The Pope passed through the Door of Prayer, then went to the Altar of the Chair, and finally to the tomb of St. Pius X to pray,” he said, according to Vatican News.
Pope Francis has often expressed a “deep spiritual bond” with St. Pius X, according to the report.
Despite his silence, Di Palma said, the Pope’s demeanor conveyed affection to those nearby.
Though the visit was brief and the Pope did not speak, news of his presence spread quickly. A number of pilgrims who were in Rome for the Jubilee made their way into St. Peter’s to see him. Children received blessings, and some restorers working behind protective screens were able to greet him and shake his hand.
This appearance follows the pope’s recent unexpected participation in the Jubilee of the Sick, where he appeared in a wheelchair in St. Peter’s Square before the crowd and thanked them for coming.
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