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In place of Pope Francis, a cardinal will lead the New Year’s Eve prayer and New Year’s Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, because the archbishop is suffering from pain caused by sciatica, a spokesman for the Holy See said.
Spokesperson Matteo Bruni announced that on Thursday afternoon, the New Year’s Eve prayer and the subsequent Thanksgiving Te Deum will be led by Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the board of cardinals. Mass on Friday will be presented by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, at the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in place of the Pope.
Both ceremonies used to be performed by the head of the church, but the Vatican canceled Pope Francis’ participation at the last minute.
The hip nerve in the pastor’s right leg is inflamed, “it’s a painful sciatica”
– a Vatican spokesman said.
On the other hand, at noon on January 1, Pope Francis will personally deliver the first New Year’s address from the library room of the papal suite, which will be broadcast live on televisions, radios and the Internet.
The 84-year-old Pope Francis canceled the ceremony for health reasons for the first time since his election in 2013. The Pope has personally led all of the Christmas ceremonies in recent days.
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