On Palm Sunday, the pope says that the Church needs humility

Tens of thousands of people waved palm trees and olive branches on Saint Peter's Square on Sunday, as part of a mbadive commemoration during which Pope Francis began Holy Week by calling for to be humble.

Palm Sunday is the holiday with which Christians celebrate the day the Bible says that Jesus entered Jerusalem and was praised as a messiah, to be crucified a few days later.

After a long procession on St. Peter's Square, accompanied by dozens of bishops and cardinals and followed by readings of the Gospel, Francis stated in his homily that it was important to resist the temptation of triumphalism and to remain humble.

"Cheerful cheers at the entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation, tears of emotion followed by brutal tortures.This mystery of dualities accompanies each year our entry into Holy Week," he said. declared.

The Church itself had to resist triumphalism and spiritual worldliness, he added, calling them "the most treacherous temptation that threatens the institution.

After two hours of religious service, Francis asked the crowd to pray for peace, especially in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the most important week of Catholicism, culminating in Easter Sunday, the most important moment of the Christian liturgical calendar.

On Holy Thursday, Francisco will travel to the town of Velletri, south of Rome, to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates in a prison and commemorate Jesus' humble gesture towards his apostles the night before his death, according to the Catholic tradition.