Pope Francis, recuperating from illness, welcomes jubilant Easter crowds from the popemobile

For the first time since he survived double pneumonia, Pope Francis arrived in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday in an open-air popemobile to welcome tens of thousands of Catholics following the Easter Mass celebration at the Vatican.

In the rear of the white car, the 88-year-old pope sat in an elevated chair while people crowded the square’s aisles, many waving national flags and yelling “viva il papa!” (long live the pope!).

As papal aides pulled infants from the crowd for Francis to bless, the popemobile, decked out in vibrant Easter flowers, came to a brief stop somewhere in the square. The pope’s hands made a gesture, but they were only slightly elevated.

Francis did not preside over the Easter Mass at the Vatican, but he did show up at the conclusion of the event for the twice-yearly blessing and message known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world). Francis has been reducing his workload on the advice of his physicians.

The pope reaffirmed his demand for an immediate truce in Gaza in an Easter address read aloud by an aide while he watched from St. Peter’s Basilica’s main balcony.

In January, Francis had been critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, describing the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave as “very serious and shameful” before a five-week hospital stint for pneumonia that almost killed him.

It was described as “dramatic and deplorable” by the pope in his Easter speech. Additionally, the pope denounced what he described as a “worrisome” global trend of antisemitism and urged the Palestinian militant group Hamas to free its remaining hostages.

“I express my closeness to the sufferings … of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” the text said.

“I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace,” added the statement.

JD VANCE AND POPE ALSO CONNECT

A deal to halt the fighting in exchange for the release of captives was what Hamas demanded last week when it rejected an Israeli proposal for another short truce. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he had given the Israeli military orders to increase pressure on Hamas.

In 2023, the Hamas-led October 7 raid on southern Israel set off the war, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli estimates.

Since then, the Israeli offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, with 1,600 of those deaths occurring in Gaza in the last month, according to local health authorities.

Francis met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who has been in Italy for the weekend, earlier on Sunday at the Vatican.

The Vatican said that Vance and he had a quick meeting “lasting a few minutes” to greet one other on Easter.