Happy Easter! For more than two billion Catholics and other Christians worldwide, today is the holiest day on the religious calendar because it’s the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Pope Francis is celebrating the Easter mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The mass was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time, according to the Vatican. That corresponds with 4 a.m. Eastern time, 3 a.m. Central time and 1 a.m. for people in the Pacific time zone. (See other corresponding times here).
The Vatican is streaming the mass and the pope’s blessing live. The video is embedded below and can also be seen here. If you can’t watch it live, check back here; Heavy will add the video playback of the mass once it becomes available.
Pope Francis Is Celebrating the Easter Mass But Viewers May Notice Him Limp
On Easter Sundays before the pandemic, tens of thousands of believers would crowd into St. Peter’s Square to hear the mass and receive the pope’s blessing. But as the Vatican explained before the start of Holy Week, all masses would again be celebrated at the “Altar of the Cathedra” inside Saint Peter’s Basilica along “with the participation of the Cardinals, the Superiors of the Secretariat of State, and a limited number of faithful.”
Viewers watching the mass may notice Pope Francis moving oddly. The Associated Press reported that during Good Friday events, the pope was “limping badly” due to a “bad bout” of sciatica. It’s a nerve condition that causes lower back and leg pain. Pope Francis has been suffering from the condition for several years and the pain has sometimes forced him to cancel certain public appearances, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Getty Children and young people of Rome observe the Stations of the Cross led by Pope Francis (Rear C) as part of Good Friday on April 2, 2021 at St. Peter’s square in the Vatican.
This is the second Easter in a row that the Vatican has scaled back its Holy Week services due to the coronavirus. Pope Francis traditionally washed the feet of believers, sometimes at a prison or medical center, as part of Holy Thursday rituals. But that practice was canceled again this year.
The Way of the Cross was also a noticeably smaller event. The procession is normally held at the Colosseum in Rome and draws thousands of people. This year, the Way of the Cross was held in St. Peter’s Square (watch the video here).
Getty A girl brings the Cross to Pope Francis as he leads the celebration of the Way of the Cross as part of Good Friday on April 2, 2021 at St. Peter’s square in the Vatican.
As part of the event, the pope also listened to children as they told their stories of how COVID-19 had upended their lives, the Vatican explained. (Also called the Stations of the Cross, the Way of the Cross commemorates the events of Good Friday. Catholics mark everything that happened to Jesus on his final day, from his arrest to his burial).
Pope Francis Will Deliver His Easter Blessing, Called the ‘Urbi et Orbi,’ Immediately After the Mass
Getty Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi message and gives Easter blessing following Easter Sunday Mass on April 12, 2020.
The pope traditionally delivers a special blessing after the Easter Sunday mass. The blessing is known as the “Urbi et Orbi.” The phrase is Latin for “to the city and world,” as the Vatican explained.
His Easter blessing in 2020 was about remaining hopeful in the face of the pandemic. According to the translation from the Vatican, Pope Francis described faith as a positive type of contagion:
Today the Church’s proclamation echoes throughout the world: “Jesus Christ is risen!” – “He is truly risen!”.
Like a new flame this Good News springs up in the night: the night of a world already faced with epochal challenges and now oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family. In this night, the Church’s voice rings out: “Christ, my hope, has arisen!” (Easter Sequence).
This is a different “contagion”, a message transmitted from heart to heart – for every human heart awaits this Good News. It is the contagion of hope: “Christ, my hope, is risen!”. This is no magic formula that makes problems vanish. No, the resurrection of Christ is not that. Instead, it is the victory of love over the root of evil, a victory that does not “by-pass” suffering and death, but passes through them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good: this is the unique hallmark of the power of God.
Pope Francis prayed for those who had died from the coronavirus and the loved ones who mourn them. He continued that the pandemic had deprived people of the ability to comfort each other during the difficult times but offered this comfort:
This disease has not only deprived us of human closeness, but also of the possibility of receiving in-person the consolation that flows from the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation. In many countries, it has not been possible to approach them, but the Lord has not left us alone! United in our prayer, we are convinced that he has laid his hand upon us, firmly reassuring us: Do not be afraid, “I have risen and I am with you still!”
The pope also preached about ending bloody conflicts around the world and prayed for leaders to find peaceful solutions:
This is not a time for division. May Christ our peace enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. This is not a time for continuing to manufacture and deal in arms, spending vast amounts of money that ought to be used to care for others and save lives. Rather, may this be a time for finally ending the long war that has caused such great bloodshed in beloved Syria, the conflict in Yemen and the hostilities in Iraq and in Lebanon. May this be the time when Israelis and Palestinians resume dialogue in order to find a stable and lasting solution that will allow both to live in peace. May the sufferings of the people who live in the eastern regions of Ukraine come to an end. May the terrorist attacks carried out against so many innocent people in different African countries come to an end.
The Vatican is streaming the 2021 Urbi et Orbi on YouTube and the live stream is embedded above. Heavy will add the video playback once it becomes available.
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