Bad Knee Forces Pope to Sit Out Palm Sunday Mass
Plagued by knee pain, Pope John Paul II took the exceptional step of ceding his place at the altar during Palm Sunday Mass, the latest sign of the health problems that are exacting a toll on the pontiff.
To the surprise of tens of thousands at St. Peter’s Square, John Paul did not celebrate the Mass. Instead, he sat in an armchair near the altar on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, letting an Italian cardinal take his place.
The pope, 81, read the homily and several prayers during the nearly 2 1/2-hour celebration, but the substitution spared him a long spell standing behind the altar.
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