Pope soldiers through Easter Vigil after missing procession

Pope Francis presides over the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, March 30, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday soldiered through a more than 2-hour Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica, one of the longest services in Catholic liturgy, amid renewed concerns about the 87-year-old's frail condition.

His voice at times sounded raspy and out of breath, but he read out all of his prepared texts, including a more than one-page long homily, and he smiled and waved at the congregation as he left in a wheelchair.