“A good Sunday to all. Thank you very much”, the 88-year old pope said as he was wheeled through Saint Peter’s Square in his wheelchair after a mass dedicated to the sick.
Francis is, in theory, undergoing two months of convalescence following his life-threatening health scare, with strict rest, no public activity and no contact with crowds.
His eagerness to reach out to the flock however comes against the advice of his doctors, who have urged him to avoid meeting groups of people to limit the risk of infection.
“He’s not yet well enough to deliver a message, but well enough to make a gesture... and show up,“ the source added.
According to his doctors Francis almost died twice suring his time in hospital, the longest and most fraught of his 12 years as head of the Church.
A few minutes before his surprise appearance the leader of the globe’s 1.4 billion Catholics received the sacrament in St Peter’s Cathedral, the Vatican said in a statement on Telegram.
“I pray for the doctors, the nurses and the healthcare workers, who are not always helped to work in adequate conditions and who are even, sometimes, victims of attacks,“ the pontiff wrote.
His message went on to offer a prayer for an end to the world’s conflicts, mentioning in turn Ukraine, Sudan, neighbouring South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, quake-hit Myanmar and Haiti.
Francis likewise prayed for the Middle East and especially Gaza, where Israel last week again launched a ground offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“Let the weapons fall silent and dialogue begin again”, he added, calling for the freeing of the hostages held by Hamas since its October 7, 2023 attack that began the war.
While being assisted his recovery by healthcare workers night and day at his Vatican residence, Francis has not seen any visitors beyond his closest colleagues since his release from the Gemelli Hospital.
He has, however, been forced to reduce his usual frenetic schedule, and the scale of his involvement in the religious events leading up to Easter -- the holiest period in the Christian calendar -- is so far unclear.
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