Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – "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." Under a gray sky, in St. Peter's Square filled with pilgrims, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals, gave voice to the Pope by reading Pope Francis' homily for Palm Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of Holy Week.
The Pope, who is entering his fourth week of convalescence after being hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia, was absent from the ceremony, which began, as is tradition, with the blessing of olive and palm branches at the foot of the ancient obelisk in the center of St. Peter's Square. From there, the procession continued to the square, decorated with olive trees.
As last Sunday, at the end of the celebration, the Pope appeared unexpectedly on the square, greeted by long applause. "Happy Palm Sunday! Happy Holy Week!" These were the words spoken by the Pope, who, before returning to Casa Santa Marta, stopped to greet the Cardinals present and the authorities who had participated in the rite.
In his commentary on today's Gospel, that of the Passion according to Luke, Pope Francis, in the homily read by Cardinal Sandri, focused on the figure of Simon of Cyrene, the man who "while coming in from the countryside" was seized by the soldiers who then "laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus."
The Pope described this action of carrying the cross as "ambivalent" because the man from Cyrene "was forced to carry the cross: he did not help Jesus out of conviction, but out of coercion."
On the other hand, "he then becomes personally involved in the Lord’s passion," so that "Jesus’ cross becomes Simon’s cross. He was not the Simon, called Peter, who had promised to follow the Master at all times.
That Simon disappeared on the night of betrayal, even after he had exclaimed: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death”. Yet the Master had clearly taught: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”. Simon of Galilee spoke but did not act. Simon of Cyrene acts but does not speak. Between him and Jesus, there is no dialogue; not a single word is spoken. Between him and Jesus, there is only the wood of the cross."
"The cross of wood that Simon of Cyrene bore is the cross of Christ, who himself bore the sins of all humanity," the Pope emphasized, recalling that Christ carries the cross "for love of us, in obedience to the Father, he suffered with us and for us. It is precisely 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."
And when "we see the great crowds of men and women whom hatred and violence are compelling to walk the road to Calvary, let us remember that God has made this road a place of redemption, for he walked it himself, giving his life for us. How many Simons of Cyrene are there in our own day, bearing the cross of Christ on their shoulders! 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." Jesus’ passion "becomes compassion whenever we hold out our hand to those who feel they cannot go on, when we lift up those who have fallen, when we embrace those who are discouraged."
"In order to experience this great miracle of mercy, let us decide how we are meant to carry our own cross during this Holy Week: if not on our shoulders, in our hearts. And not only our cross, but also the cross of those who suffer all around us; perhaps even the cross of some unknown person whom chance — but is it really chance? — has placed on our way. Let us prepare for the Lord’s paschal mystery by becoming each of us, for one another, a Simon of Cyrene," the Pope concluded.
In the text of the reflection prepared for the recitation of the Angelus, released for the ninth consecutive Sunday only in written form, the Pontiff thanks all the faithful for their prayers on his behalf: "At this time of physical weakness, they help me to feel God's closeness, compassion and tenderness even more. I too am praying for you, and I ask you to entrust all those who suffer to the Lord together with me, especially those affected by war, poverty or natural disasters."
The Bishop of Rome then turned his thoughts to Santo Domingo: "May God receive in His peace the victims of the collapse of a building in Santo Domingo, and comfort their families." Then the appeal for peace, beginning with Africa: "The 15th of April will mark the second sad anniversary of the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, in which thousands have been killed and millions of families have been forced to flee their homes. The suffering of children, women and vulnerable people cries out to heaven and begs us to act. I renew my appeal to the parties involved, that they may end the violence and embark on paths of dialogue, and to the international community, so that the help needed may be provided to the populations.
And let us also remember Lebanon, where the tragic civil war began fifty years ago: with God's help, may it live in peace and prosperity."
"May peace come at last to martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Myanmar, to South Sudan. May Mary, Mother of Sorrows, obtain this grace for us and help us to live this Holy Week with faith," is the plea at the end of Pope Francis's text. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/4/2026)
