Easter is rapidly approaching. Following Green Thursday, Christians all over the globe are commemorating the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The culmination of the festivities is on Sunday, when believers celebrate Christ’s resurrection, and Vatican City traditionally gives the Urbi et Orbi blessing. Whether Pope Francis can participate this year is uncertain. The pontifex is still recovering from the severe pneumonia that confined him to the hospital for weeks, earlier this year.
RTL reporter Marc Hoscheid tackled the most asked questions, with insight from bishop Leo Wagener.
Will the Pope be participating in the festivities?
It is safe to say that, in comparison to previous years, there will be modifications. For most masses, the 88-year-old Pope Francis will be represented by his cardinal. He will also not attend the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Friday evening – however, the head of the Catholic church had already missed the ceremony in the past, due to his limited movement ability.
On Friday morning, Marc Hoscheid talked to Luxembourgish bishop Leo Wagener, who is appreciating the positive aspects despite reduced program points.
“We can tell that he is regaining strength”, bishop Wagener asserted. “On Green Thursday, he spontaneously decided to visit a prison and be with the detainees, which he had done in previous years, because he is not able to do the ceremonial foot washing. His appearance showed a certain energy.”
Whether the Pope is able to give the Urbi et Orbi blessing to the followers will also depend on the weather. The Sunday weather forecast predicts a warm 20 degrees. It is supposed to be cloudy, but dry. Thus the Pope might still decide to perform the blessing himself, although he will remain cautious.
These past few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion concerning the Pope’s successor and his resignation. Even though he is recovering from his illness, does the possibility remain for him to voluntarily give up his post?
A lot of speculation surrounded that subject while Pope Francis was in hospital. His predecessor, Pope Benedict, had stepped back from his post in a similar manner. Before that, no pope had resigned voluntarily for 700 years – it is a rare occurrence. Leo Wagener explained that Pope Francis’ stance on the subject is undetermined.
“He has always said that he would continue his pontificate until the end. However, he added that if his forces were to deteriorate and were he not able to do his job well anymore, then he would consider a different decision.”
Three years ago, the Pope himself declared that he had signed a patient decree stating that he would resign from his position in the event of serious health problems. What exactly this means and what the entire procedure would entail is not known.
Luxembourgish Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich as potential successor has been brought up again.
While the topic has surfaced, Wagener deemed it inappropriate to speculate about a successor to the Pope while he is still alive. The Cardinal himself isn’t concerned with such thoughts. Bishop Wagener also says he isn’t thinking about a possible succession to Jean-Claude Hollerich. If the Luxembourg Archbishop were to take on a new role, the clock would be reset to zero, and the succession would be discussed entirely anew.
Lastly, let’s cast a glance on the Luxembourgish church. Is the Easter effort still worth it, and are people interested in celebrating the holiday in church?
According to Leo Wagener, a reduced number of massed are held during Easter week, with the intention in mind to gather more people in fewer places. Therefore, the masses should still be filled with attendants. The Chrism mass held in the Cathedral showed a higher attendance than in previous years. We can only wait to see if this tendency will be confirmed, though the bishop has an inkling:
“We have already witnessed that more people, more adults in particular, were baptised during the Easter night in the Cathedral, led by our archbishop. We have noticed this rising tendency in the past few years, it is especially visible in France and it is reflected in Luxembourg as well.”
These newly baptised Christians comprise only a small number of Luxembourgers – they are primarily people who have recently moved to Luxembourg. That is not surprising nor an issue, as it mirrors the multicultural society of Luxembourg.
