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Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square to celebrate Palm Sunday Mbad. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the holiest and busiest time of the Pope's calendar. The day the Church also celebrated the day of youth, the Pope urged young people not to be ashamed to show their enthusiasm for Jesus.
As is the tradition, the Sunday mbad in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday began with the Holy Father watering with holy water and the blessing of palm leaves and olive branches. for service in front of the obelisk in the center of the square. The Vatican said more than 40,000 people were present for the occasion.
The pope wore bright red clothes and held a braided palm. Many cardinals and bishops had taken part in a long procession before celebrating Mbad in front of an open altar in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Pope Francis began his homily by saying: "Cheerful cheers at Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem, followed by his humiliation. Festive crying followed by brutal torture. This double mystery accompanies each year our entry into Holy Week. "
The pope said that it was important to resist the temptations of triumphalism and to remain humble. He added: "A subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which represents the greatest danger, the most treacherous temptation that the Church faces." The pope declared that "Jesus destroyed his triumphalism with his pbadion".
On Palm Sunday, the church also marks World Youth Day. The pope called on young people not to be ashamed to show their enthusiasm for Jesus, but also not to be afraid to follow him on the way to the cross. "The Vatican has announced that the next World Youth Day will be held in Portugal in 2021.
Pope Francis asked people gathered at the end of Mbad to pray for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East.
Like every year, the pope has a busy schedule this week. On Holy Thursday, he will visit the Velletri prison, south of Rome, where he will wash the feet of 12 prisoners. On Good Friday, he will lead the procession of the Way of the Cross in the former Colosseum of Rome. And on Easter Sunday, the pope will give his traditional blessing to the city and the world.
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