Vatican | AFP
Pope Francis, who canceled his appointment for this Saturday (25) due to a mild flu, prayed the Angelus prayer this Sunday (26) in Santa Marta, his residence in the Vatican, the Holy See press service reported.
The prayer was broadcast live on the large screens in St. Peter’s Square. The Argentine pope usually recites the Angelus prayer from a window in the Apostolic Palace overlooking the square. This Sunday morning was particularly cold in Rome.
Francisco, 86, also said he had pneumonia. On Saturday he went to a hospital in Rome to undergo tests because of the flu.
After prayer, he celebrated the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “Today we thank God because there was finally a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine and some hostages were released,” he said. His message was read by another cleric due to his health.
“Let us pray that they are all released as soon as possible let us think of their families! That more humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza and that dialogue is pushed: it is the only way, the only way, to have peace. Who doesn’t want that?” “Dialogue doesn’t want peace,” he added.
The pope plans to travel to Dubai later this week to attend the UN conference on climate change.
He, who has made environmental protection one of the pillars of his pontificate, will give a longawaited speech at COP28 on December 2 in which he will denounce the inaction of the countries involved and call on them to drastically reduce the emissions of gases that cause the greenhouse effect cause.
Francisco’s health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring him to travel in a wheelchair, while speculation continues about his possible resignation from office. In 2021, the head of the Catholic Church underwent colon surgery and in 2023 he was hospitalized twice, once for abdominal surgery.
The operation was to repair a Laparocele, a type of hernia that forms due to failed healing after a previous surgery. In Pope’s case, a procedure performed in 2021 to treat diverticulitis is cited as the likely trigger for the disease.
In March this year, the pope was diagnosed with bronchitis and was hospitalized for five days the pope is more susceptible to respiratory illnesses because he had part of his lung removed when he was about 20.