At the end of the solemn liturgical celebration of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord, the Holy Father Francis recited the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

The following is the Pope’s introduction to the Marian prayer:

Before the Angelus

At the end of this celebration, I cordially greet all of you here present, especially those who have participated in the International Assembly in preparation for the Synod on young people, promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Family and Life in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. I also extend this greeting to all the young people who today, with their bishops, celebrate Youth Day in every diocese in the world. It is another stage of the great pilgrimage, initiated by St. John Paul II, that last year has brought us together in Krakow, and calls us to Panama for January 2019.

Therefore, in a moment, the young Poles will pass the World Youth Day Cross to the young Panamanians, all accompanied by their pastors and civil authorities.

Let us ask the Lord that the Cross, united with the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani, will make faith and hope grow where it passes, revealing Christ’s invincible love.

To Christ, Who today enters the Passion, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we entrust the victims of last Friday’s terrorist attack in Stockholm, as well as those who are still sorely tried by war, the scourge of humanity. And let us pray for the victims of the attack this morning in Cairo, in a Coptic church. To my dear brother, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, to the Coptic Church and to all the dear Egyptian nation I express my deepest condolences, I pray for the deceased and the injured, and I am close to their families and the entire community. May the Lord convert the heart of those who sow terror, violence and death, and also the heart of those who produce and traffic in arms.