Pope Francis skips Palm Sunday homily at start of busy Holy Week that will test his health

Pope Francis has decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. He is avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health. He has been hobbled by respiratory problems and bad knees. The 87-year-old pontiff blessed the palm fronds and olive branches carried by the faithful from the altar. Francis said he was praying for the families of those killed in what he called an “inhuman” attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall and also asked for prayers for “the martyred Ukraine” and people of Gaza. #popefrancis Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Website: https://apnews.com Twitter:   / ap   Facebook:   / apnews   Instagram:   / apnews   ​ This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home