The Pope Said, “Happy Sunday to Everyone” During His First Surprise Appearance After Leaving the Hospital

Pope Francis, true to his role, continues to assume the responsibilities of the papacy and advance the Vatican’s agenda, regardless of the circumstances. Recently released from the hospital, he had not been seen in public for some time, sparking concern and speculation.

However, in his first public appearance since falling ill, on April 6, 2025, he was rolled out in a wheelchair during a Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and addressed both the media and the worshippers. This moment, while brief, was deeply symbolic and serves as a reminder that the Pope will always be the Pope. Even in frailty, he seizes every opportunity to reinforce the Church’s teachings, maintain its presence in the world, and embody the continuity of the Catholic mission.

When the Pope proclaims “Buona Domenica a Tutti” (“Happy Sunday to Everyone”) during Mass, it may seem like a simple greeting, but it carries a profound theological and evangelistic significance. According to Roman Catholic theology, Sunday is not just a day of rest; it is called Dies Domini, the Day of the Lord. By wishing everyone a “Happy Sunday,” the Pope reminds the world of the central importance that Sunday worship should have in our lives. Evangelistically, this brief phrase serves as an invitation, a pastoral call, and a summons to recognize the sacredness of the day and to engage in peaceful, communal worship and reflection.

In essence, the Pope uses even a casual greeting to reaffirm human traditions above the word of God while inviting the world, Catholic or not, to embrace Sunday worship. Rome, through the enduring influence of the papacy and the institutional weight of the Vatican, continues to position itself as a moral and spiritual authority, not only within Catholicism but across the broader Christian and political landscape.

“There is one pointed out in prophecy as the man of sin. He is the representative of Satan. Taking the suggestions of Satan concerning the law of God, which is as unchangeable as his throne, this man of sin comes in and represents to the world that he has changed that law, and that the first day of the week instead of the seventh is now the Sabbath. Professing infallibility, he claims the right to change the law of God to suit his own purposes. By doing, he exalts himself above God, and leaves the world to infer that God is fallible … And the Christian world has sanctioned his efforts by adopting this child of the papacy,—the Sunday institution. They have nourished it, and will continue to nourish it, until Protestantism shall give the hand of fellowship to the Roman power. Then there will be a law against the Sabbath of God’s creation, and then it is that God will do a strange work in the earth” (Review and Herald, March 9, 1886).