Pope Francis, 87, presides over Easter Vigil service after pulling out of Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum for health reasons

Pope Francis will be presiding over the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night, just hours after a last minute cancellation saw him miss a Good Friday procession in Rome for health reasons, the Vatican has confirmed.

The 87-year-old Pontiff had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession last night, which is a re-enactment of Jesus' death by crucifixion, but declined the event to 'preserve his health.' 

On Saturday, the Vatican's daily bulletin confirmed Pope Francis would lead the lengthy vigil in St Peter's Basilica, one of the most solemn and important moments in the Catholic liturgical calendar. 

The service, which is due to begin at 7.30 pm and usually lasts two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism for eight adult converts.

Francis, who had part of a lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems throughout the winter months that have made it difficult for him to speak at length.

The service, which is due to begin at 7.30 pm and usually lasts two hours, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and includes the sacrament of baptism for eight adult converts.

Pope Francis, seen at St Peter's Basilica on Good Friday, will be presiding over the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night, just hours after cancelling his attendance to a procession in Rome for health reasons, the Vatican has confirmed

Pope Francis arrived at St Peter's Basilica on Good Friday in a wheelchair and just hours later pulled out of a procession at the Colosseum in Rome to 'preserve his health'

He has canceled some audiences and often asked an aide to read aloud some of his speeches. 

But he has cancelled his Palm Sunday homily altogether and decided at the last minute yesterday (Friday) to stay home rather than preside over the Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum.

The Vatican said in a brief explanation that the decision was made to 'conserve his health' in view of the vigil service on Saturday and his even more taxing obligations on Easter Sunday. 

READ MORE:  Pope Francis, 87, misses Good Friday procession to 'preserve his health', amid fears over his health - as he is seen arriving to a Vatican service in a wheelchair

Pope Francis is pictured presiding over a Good Friday service in the Vatican

Earlier on Friday, the Pope presided over the liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ at St. Peter's Basilica, having arrived at the event in a wheelchair.

The liturgy, which is a form of Christian worship, replaces mass on Good Friday and commemorates Jesus's crucifixion and death. 

The Pope is due to preside over a morning Easter Mass in St Peter's Square and deliver his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) speech praying for an end to global crises.

While Francis also skipped the chilly Good Friday procession last year because he was recovering from bronchitis, his sudden absence from the event this year raised concern. 

His chair was in place on the podium, and his aides were preparing for his arrival when the Vatican announced five minutes before the official start time that he would not be attending.

In addition to his respiratory problems, Francis had a chunk of his large intestine removed in 2021 and was hospitalised twice last year, including once to remove intestinal scar tissue from previous surgeries to address diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall. 

He has been using a wheelchair or cane for nearly two years because of bad knee ligaments.

In his recently-published memoirs, Life: My Story Through History, Francis said he is not suffering from any health problems that would require him to resign and that he still has ' many projects to bring to fruition.'

The Via Crucis at the Colosseum is a re-enactment of Jesus' death by crucifixion, in which participants take turns in holding the cross as they walk in and around the ancient Roman arena, stopping to pray and hear meditations

Elsewhere across the world, Christians of different denominations  also commemorated Good Friday. 

In Jerusalem, worshippers participated in a scaled-down Good Friday service due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.  

The day's processions, which normally draw thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most observers were Palestinian Christians, joined by some foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few undeterred tourists.

The traditional Good Friday procession passes along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixion. Squads of Israeli police set up barricades along the path, rerouting shoppers in the Old City's bustling Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.

A young group of Palestinians led the day's procession, past the 14 stations along the route, each marking an event that befell Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians walked in their wake. Behind them was a small parade of the Franciscan religious order, composed mainly of foreigners who live in Jerusalem. 

The celebrations coincided with the third Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with worshippers once again flocking to the revered Al-Aqsa mosque for prayer. 

Despite fears the ongoing war would spark clashes at the revered Al-Aqsa mosque, the month has so far passed peacefully under tight Israeli security. 

Palestinian Christians take part in Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City. The day's processions, which normally draw thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most observers were Palestinian Christians