Current:Home > MarketsPope Francis makes his first public appearances since being stricken by bronchitis-InfoLens
Pope Francis makes his first public appearances since being stricken by bronchitis
View Date:2024-12-23 11:32:49
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Thursday made his first public appearance outdoors since being stricken by bronchitis two weeks ago, which forced him to cancel a planned trip to the COP-28 climate conference in Dubai.
The pope has been steadily recovering, and for the Dec. 8 holiday devoted to Mary kept a traditional appointment to pray at the Spanish Steps. He arrived in a black car, and blessed a crowd of onlookers before taking a seat in a chair facing a statue of the Madonna.
The pontiff prayed for Mary’s mercy for “all the people oppressed by injustice and poverty, tried by war,’’ adding a special prayer for “the tormented Ukrainian people,” as well as Palestinians and Israelis “who have fallen back into a spiral of violence.”
Francis also addressed violence against women, a topic that has resonated in Italy in recent weeks following the killing last month of a 22-year-old female student in northern Italy. “Mary, we need you as a woman, to entrust all of the women who have suffered violence and those who are still victims in this city, in Italy and in every part of the world,’’ the pope said.
Before his appointment at the Spanish Steps, Francis went to the St. Mary Major basilica to pray before one of his favorite icons to Mary. He entered the basilica in a wheelchair.
Francis earlier addressed the faithful from an open window overlooking St. Peter’s Square for the traditional blessing, appearing for the first time to the public since his illness.
Francis, who turns 87 on Dec. 17, came down with the flu on Nov. 25 and was forced to cancel a planned trip to Dubai to participate in the U.N. climate conference. He later revealed he had been diagnosed with an acute case of infectious bronchitis that made breathing difficult.
It was the second time this year he has had a serious case of bronchitis; in spring he was hospitalized for three days to receive intravenous antibiotics.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- Pumped Storage Hydro Could be Key to the Clean Energy Transition. But Where Will the Water Come From?
- Argentine presidential candidate Milei goes to the opera — and meets both cheers and jeers
- Love long strolls in the cemetery? This 19th-century NJ church for sale could be your home
- Michael Jordan and driver Tyler Reddick come up short in bid for NASCAR championship
- Investigators found fire and safety hazards on land under I-10 in Los Angeles before arson fire
- Daisaku Ikeda, head of global Japanese Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, dies at 95
- White House rejects congressional requests tied to GOP-led House impeachment inquiry against Biden, as special counsel charges appear unlikely
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- How Khloe Kardashian Is Picking Christmas Gifts for Her Kids True and Tatum
Ranking
- Lunchables get early dismissal: Kraft Heinz pulls the iconic snack from school lunches
- Florida State QB Jordan Travis out with leg injury, No. 4 Seminoles rout North Alabama 58-13
- L.L. Bean CEO Stephen Smith answers questions about jelly beans
- In march on Jerusalem, thousands press Israeli government to do more to free hostages held in Gaza
- Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
- UN team says 32 babies are among scores of critically ill patients stranded in Gaza’s main hospital
- Rare dreamer anglerfish with ultra-black 'invisibility cloak' spotted in California waters
- Man fatally shot while hunting in western New York state
Recommendation
-
32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
-
K-12 schools improve protection against online attacks, but many are vulnerable to ransomware gangs
-
A toddler accidentally fires his mother’s gun in Walmart, police say. She now faces charges
-
Americans have tipping fatigue entering the holidays, experts say
-
Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu
-
The Truth About Those Slaps and More: 15 Secrets About Monster-In-Law
-
Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios wins Miss Universe crown
-
Cassie Settles Lawsuit Accusing Sean Diddy Combs of Rape and Abuse