Catholic faithful celebrating Palm Sunday this weekend

Catholic faithful this weekend celebrate Palm Sunday, a feast that commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by crowds that strewed palm branches before Him. "The traditional Palm Sunday procession organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest on the city streets had to be canceled for the second year in a row because of the pandemic. However, bearing in mind the urging of Pope Francis, who said, referring to the pandemic, that 'we are all on the same boat', we understand that the suffering and the negative way in which our lives have been affected in this period take on a new meaning through the Feast of Easter: Jesus' self-sacrifice provides a new perspective to our way of living. We are preparing to celebrate Easter under health protection conditions, in collaboration with the state authorities," spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, Father Tarcizio Serban, told AGERPRES. He underscored that the approaching Easter holidays "call for a renewal of the mind and way of life". "The feast of Palm Sunday essentially evokes the event of the messianic entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Surrounded and hailed by the apostles, disciples and a large part of the population as the Expected Messiah, Jesus enters Jerusalem bringing a message of turning away from corruption and abuse and of conversion to the observance of God's law. The Palm Sunday feast cannot be dissociated from Easter and marks the entry into the liturgical preparation for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus in the Holy Week. The evangelical texts on Palm Sunday anticipate this fact, stating that Jesus' message did not sit well with the authorities, who, after trying to compromise him in many ways, staged a trial that resulted in Jesus being sentenced to death by crucifixion, which we commemorate on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday we celebrate His triumph over death," the priest explained. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Popescu, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)