Pope Francis’ Easter morning appearance in St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday shows that even after the illness that almost claimed his life, he still has the “heart of a pastor,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco said on Newsmax Sunday. 

“A pastor always wants to be with his people, especially on the holiest day of the year,” Cordileone told Newsmax’s “Sunday Agenda.” “It’d be very hard for someone with the priest, with the real pastoral soul, to be away from his people. So I think that kind of pastoral presence and love for the people does have an impact.”

The pope delegated the Easter Mass to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, but after the Mass ended, he stayed on the balcony over the basilica’s entrance for more than 20 minutes, imparting the apostolic blessing in Latin. 

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