Pope officiated Mass at the Palm Sunday in St. Basil's empty basilica Petra
Pope Francis officiated Sunday Mass at St. Mary's Basilica in St. Basil's Basilica. Petra in extraordinary circumstances due to a coronavirus pandemic, the agency reports.
Only a handful of priests surrounded him, and access to the faithful was not allowed.
There were crucifixes near the altar, believed to be responsible for ending the plague epidemic in Rome in the 16th century, and the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Savior of the Roman people, dpa reports.
Crucifixion from the church of st. Marcelo at Korzo and the icon of the Savior of the Roman People were also exposed during a ceremony on March 27, when the Pope led special prayers to end the pandemic in the empty St. Petra.
The Byzantine icon of the Savior of the Roman People (Salus Populi Romani) was brought to Rome in 590, and in 2018 it was restored in workshops of the Vatican Museums.
According to the Catholic News Agency, the crucifix from the Roman church of St. Marcela at Korzo was the only religious item that survived or remained intact after the fire that destroyed the church on May 23, 1519. Three years later, the plague ravaged Rome, and at the request of Roman Catholics, the crucifix was carried in procession from Via del Corso to St. Peter's Square. The procession continued for 16 days, from the 4th to the 20th of August, 1522. When the crucifix was returned to the church of Sts. Marcela, the plague has disappeared from Rome. Believers have linked the event to the crucifixion, believing it to be miraculous.
Almost five hundred years later, like the whole world, Rome is facing a new pandemic.
In the Catholic Church, the Flowering Day is celebrated as a commemoration of Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem in the days before Passover, but also as a memorial of his ordeal thereafter.
When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, his people were waving palm and olive branches, spreading their robes along the way, as he rode on his ass.
The Holy Week also begins with the flowering season - a memorial to the last days of Jesus' life, his torment and death.
Holy Week is especially celebrated on Holy Week - Good Thursday, Good Friday and Good Saturday. This is the beginning of intense preparations for Easter, the greatest Christian holiday.
Due to the pandemic, Easter celebrations in the Vatican have been reduced and closed to the public.
Also canceled is the traditional Way of the Cross at the Roman Coliseum on Good Friday.
"We will celebrate Holy Week in a truly unusual way," the Pope said Friday.
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