Pope Francis recovered and returned to work today after being forced to relax his schedule earlier in the week due to a fever.
The pope resumed office and held several private audiences, including a greeting with legendary Hollywood director Martin Scorsese.
The head of the Catholic Church met the Goodfellas director and his wife Helen Morris as part of a conference at the Vatican.
The trio could be seen clasping hands and sharing a smile. Scorsese also appeared to present Francis with a framed gift.
Health concerns about the eighty-year-old pontiff have been on the agenda for several months. The 86-year-old was hospitalized with bronchitis just two months ago.
Goodfellas: Pope Francis meets director Martin Scorsese and his wife Helen Morris. In the picture, the trio could be seen clasping hands and smiling at each other
Pope Francis met with director Martin Scorsese today at the Vatican. Scorsese also appeared to present Francis with a framed gift
Pope Francis pictured during an interview on RAI TV program “A Sua Immagine”, Rome, Italy, May 27, 2023
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Friday that the Argentine pope would not hold audiences “due to his fever.”
It was unclear who the pope was expected to meet with as his agenda was not made public.
Vatican Foreign Minister Pietro Parolin blamed the Pope’s busy schedule and said he was “tired”.
According to his published schedule, Francis had eight meetings on Thursday.
His next public appearance is Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Pentecost, followed by the traditional Regina Coeli prayer.
A meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled for Monday.
Pope Francis, who has been the leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide since 2013, has suffered increasing health concerns over the past year, from persistent pain in his right knee to his recent hospitalization for bronchitis.
The incidents sparked widespread concern and fueled speculation that he would rather retire than remain in office for life, a decision made by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
At the end of March, Francis was taken to a hospital in Rome for breathing difficulties and stayed there for three nights.
He was treated with antibiotics for bronchitis.
Pope Francis is meeting with officials today as part of a conference hosted by La Civilta Cattolica and Georgetown University at the Vatican
The pope resumed office, held several private audiences and met with officials at a conference at the Vatican today
The Pope reads aloud as he greets officials during a conference at the Vatican today
As he left Gemelli Hospital on April 1, the Pope smiled and joked with the well-wishers, quipping, “I’m still alive!”
However, due to the cold weather, the Pope had to miss the “Way of the Cross” procession on Good Friday last month.
Instead, he attended a Good Friday service in St. Peter’s Basilica.
It was the first time since his election in 2013 that the pope has not presided over the Via Crucis service.
He managed to attend Maundy Thursday duties and meet with dozens of cardinals and bishops and some 1,880 priests in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The pope later traveled to the prison of Casal del Marmo on the outskirts of town, where the night before his death he washed and kissed the feet of 12 young inmates – a gesture intended to commemorate Jesus’ humility towards his apostles.
Francis, who became pope ten years ago, is missing part of a lung. It was removed when he was a young man in his native Argentina.