Pope Francis Prepares Jubilee of Deacons Homily from Hospital

Vatican City: The sermon for the Jubilee of Deacons mass scheduled for 9 am Sunday at St Peter’s Basilica has been prepared by Pope Francis, despite his current hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli, as announced by the Vatican Press Office on Saturday. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will deliver the homily on behalf of the pontiff. The mass is expected to see the ordination of 23 deacons, conducted by the archbishop.

According to Ansa News Agency, Pope Francis continues to work from the hospital, with several new appointments announced by the Vatican Press Office on Saturday. The pontiff has appointed Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, archbishop emeritus of Warsaw, as his special envoy for the 1,000th-anniversary celebrations of King Boleslaw Chrobry’s crowning, which will take place on April 26-27, 2025, in Gniezno, Poland. This event coincides with the 1025th anniversary of the first Polish archdiocese in the same city.

The Vatican bulletin also reported that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Benjamin Ndiaye from the metropolitan archdiocese of Dakar, Senegal, due to retirement. Bishop Andr© Gueye, previously the bishop of Thi¨s and apostolic administrator of Saint-Louis du S©n©gal, has been appointed as his successor. Additionally, Archbishop Andr©s Stanovnik of Corrientes, Argentina, has retired, with Archbishop Jos© Adolfo Larregain, O.F.M., stepping in as his successor.

Finally, the resignation of Bishop Ambroise Ou©draogo from the diocese of Maradi, Niger, was accepted by the pontiff. Reverend Fr. Ignatius Anipu has been appointed as the new bishop for the diocese.