Vatican publishes partial list of papal liturgical events during Lent

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican released a partial schedule of Pope Francis’ liturgical celebrations in March and early April, including a group Lenten retreat for the pope and top members of the Curia for the first time in five years.

The calendar of papal celebrations was released Feb. 12 as the 88-year-old pope has been active and maintaining his scheduled appointments but has curtailed reading long speeches and homilies as he has been recovering from a “strong cold” and bronchitis since at least Feb. 5.

Lent begins March 5 and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday, April 17, but the calendar only goes to April 6 and does not cover events for Holy Week and Easter, which falls on April 20. The 12th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election is March 13.

From the evening of March 9 to the morning of March 14, Pope Francis and members of the Curia will attend a Lenten retreat in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, according to the schedule released by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of papal liturgical ceremonies. The schedule did not say who was chosen to lead the reflections.

In Lent 2014, Pope Francis began the tradition of taking the Rome-based cardinals and Curia officials to the Pauline Fathers’ retreat and conference center in Ariccia, a town about 20 miles southeast of Rome, for the Lenten retreat.

The pope had a cold in 2020, so did not join the others, and then COVID-19 was proclaimed a pandemic, and the lockdown began.

In 2021, still citing the need for caution because of COVID, Pope Francis sent those who usually would attend the retreat a copy of a spiritual book to meditate on during the week. The joint retreat outside of Rome never resumed, although for the next three years the pope cleared his schedule during the first full week of Lent and asked Curia officials to do likewise in order to dedicate themselves to spiritual reflections.

Here is the schedule of papal liturgical ceremonies and events released by the Vatican Feb. 12:

— March 5, Ash Wednesday, the pope will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome to mark the beginning of Lent. There will also be the traditional procession beforehand after a brief prayer at the Benedictine’s Monastery of St. Anselm.

— March 9, the pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square to mark the Jubilee of the World of Volunteering.

— March 9, in the evening, the pope and the Roman Curia will begin a week of spiritual exercises in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. The exercises end March 14.

— April 6, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Square to mark the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers.