Pope Francis began his tour in St. Peter's Square by inviting a little boy with Down Syndrome into his popemobile. Then, he proceeded to greet all pilgrims present, which is a heightened number due to Holy Week. He even had a special welcome by a group with balloons.
He began his catechesis by engaging with the audience.
POPE FRANCIS
“I want to ask you a question: Which feast day is more important in our faith – Christmas or Easter?
“Easter.”
“I can't hear you!”
“Easter.”
“Easter.”
Pope Francis used his weekly catechesis to speak about the death and resurrection of Christ focusing on the Easter Triduum. He spoke about how Christ freely gave his life for all, without costing anyone anything.
POPE FRANCIS
“In the Easter Triduum the memory of this fundamental event becomes a celebration full of gratitude and, at the time same, He renews in the baptized the sense of their new condition.
For Baptism, in fact, we have risen with Jesus and we are dead to things and to the logic of world; we are reborn as new creatures: a reality that asks to become concrete existence day to day.”
During the Easter Vigil at the Vatican, the pope said he will baptize eight people into the Catholic faith. He said washing with water is a symbol of Christ resurrected, and in many countries there is another way to practice this symbolism.
POPE FRANCIS
“Mothers, grandmothers, take children to wash their eyes with water. With the water of life as a sign of being able to see the works of Jesus. New things. This Easter, let us let the eyes of our soul be washed. Let us let the eyes of the soul be washed to be able to see beautiful things and do beautiful things. This is marvelous. This is precisely the resurrection of Jesus, after His death which was the price to save us all.”
He concluded the catechesis by wishing everyone a blessed and holy Easter and asking everyone to celebrate because, “Christ, our hope has risen and precedes us in Galilee.”
