On Palm Sunday at 10 a.m., one of the most intense spiritual weeks of the year, begins in the Vatican. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Square with a procession of palms leading from the obelisk.
His next public appointment will be Wednesday morning, also in the square, to deliver the weekly catechesis.
Thursday at 9:30 a.m., he will celebrate Chrism Mass. It is a ceremony especially dedicated to priests, since it is when the sacrament of Holy Orders was instituted more than 2,000 years ago.
In the afternoon, he will visit Regina Coeli prison in Rome, a short distance from the Vatican. He will say Mass commemorating the Last Supper, during which he will wash the feet of 12 prisoners.
On Friday at 5 p.m., he will participate in the liturgy of the Passion of the Lord, one of the most moving ceremonies during Holy Week.
That evening, at a quarter past nine, Pope Francis will attend the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome. This year, the meditations have been written by teenagers, in honor of October's Synod on 'Youth, faith and vocational discernment' that the pope has convened.
Saturday night at 8:30 p.m., he will celebrate the Easter Vigil that recalls the Resurrection of Christ. It is the crowning moment of Holy Week.
Then, the following morning, on Sunday, he will say Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square before he delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of the Vatican, which is only reserved for special occasions.
