Pope Francis skips delivering Palm Sunday Mass homily as concerns grow further about his health

With what is set to be one of the busiest weeks in the religious calendar, there are now more concerns over the health of Pope Francis today, after the leader of the Catholic Church skipped delivering his homily during this morning's Palm Sunday Mass at St Peter’s Square.

In recent weeks, the Vatican has characterized the health issues the pontiff is dealing with as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold that he has been battling during the Winter months. His current health has led to Pope Francis occasionally asking an aide to read aloud his speeches and catechism lessons to spare him the effort.

The delivery of the Palm Sunday Mass homily is usually quite a lengthy speech, and with Francis currently experiencing respiratory difficulties and bad knees, announcers at the mass revealed that the Pope would not deliver the homily himself. 

The 87-year-old pontiff also blessed the palm fronds and olive branches carried by the faithful from the altar, rather than participate in the processions of cardinals around the obelisk in the piazza at the start of the Mass.

With Easter in a matter of days, this time of year marks a particularly busy schedule for Pope Francis; Thursday, Francis is due to travel to a Rome women’s prison for the traditional washing of the feet ritual, while the next day he is scheduled to preside over the night-time Way of the Cross procession at Rome’s Colosseum re-enacting Christ’s crucifixion.

The following day marks the Easter Vigil, during which the pontiff presides over a solemn night-time service in the basilica, followed by Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square and his noontime blessing from the loggia above