Pope Francis has returned to public view, presiding over Easter vigil Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
The 86-year-old Francis skipped an outdoor event on Friday night because of unseasonably cold temperatures in Rome. His doctors ordered prudence after he was hospitalised last week for bronchitis.
Francis appeared to be well during the Easter Vigil service, during which he baptised eight adult converts to Catholicism.
After starting the service in the rear of the church with the traditional lighting of a large paschal candle, he was taken in a wheelchair to the front to preside at the Mass.
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On Sunday, tens of thousands of faithful are expected to join the pope in St Peter’s Square for Easter Mass and to listen to his speech about conflicts in the world at the end of Holy Week. – AP/Reuters