Pope Francis celebrated a private Holy Thursday Mass at the apartment of Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the high-ranking prelate whose resignation Pope Francis ordered last September. The dismissal was widely believed to be linked to the Vatican’s $200 million London real estate scandal.
Most years, Pope Francis has left St. Peter’s Basilica and opted to commemorate the Last Supper in prisons or refugee housing facilities, where he has washed the feet of women, inmates and asylum seekers. Some have read his private Mass at Cardinal Becciu’s home as a sign that the pope has changed his mind about accepting Cardinal Becciu’s resignation and asking him to renounce his rights as a cardinal.
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell explains why he does not believe Pope Francis is retracting his decision and explains how he interprets the gesture.
Links from the show:
- Pope Francis celebrates Last Supper Mass at the home of Cardinal Becciu whose resignation he accepted last September
- Podcast: The Vatican’s $200 million London real estate scandal, explained
- Pope Francis at Chrism Mass: Preaching the Gospel will always mean embracing the Cross
- Cardinal, at pope’s Good Friday service, decries divisions within church
- Pope Francis on Easter: ‘The risen Christ is hope for all who continue to suffer.’
