Pope Francis has again suspended activities he had scheduled, this time for Tuesday, April 26. As reported by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff decided to boycott his schedule on medical advice.
“Due to knee pain, and on medical advice, Pope Francis has stopped activities scheduled for the dayIncluding participation in the Council of Cardinals, of which a new session is being held these days.”
Last week, Pope Francis also canceled all meetings he had planned for Friday, April 22. A spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, told the press that the Pope had to suspend his schedule for that day “to undergo medical examinations”, Because of severe pain in his right knee.
Francisco, 85, has had health issues this year. He suffers from severe knee pain and has difficulty walking, which marked all the festivities.
On Palm Sunday, before the crowds of believers, Francisco was almost always seated, unable to walk in the procession, and arrived in a black car at the altar and was accompanied by his assistant.
The long Passion Week celebrations are a problem, due to the inflammation he has had since January in his knee, which he rarely wakes up to, uses the popemobile frequently and needs an assistive support.
On Sunday, during the blessing of Urbi et Orbi from St. Peter’s Square, in front of a crowd, he was unable to read his entire speech standing up and had to sit in the middle of the Easter message.
Francis, who in March celebrated his nine-year pontificate, He also suffers from chronic sciatica problems, which usually cause severe painShe underwent a delicate colon surgery last July.
In February, he canceled a trip to Florence (central Italy) due to a sharp pain in his knee, “acute knee pain”, as he was prescribed a period of rest.
“I’ve been told that this only happens to seniors, so I don’t know why it happened to me‘, the Pope joked during a general audience.
Pope repeats call for Easter truce in Ukraine
Pope Francis has again called for a truce in Ukraine and a halt to attacks against the “exhausted population” on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated on Sunday.
“Today marks two months since the start of the war“On February 24, the Pope recalled during the Sunday Mass, which he celebrated in front of the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Some Ukrainian flags were seen among the crowd.
Instead of stopping, the war only got worse. The Pope added that it is sad that in these days holy and solemn for Christians, the deadly noise of weapons is heard more than the sound of the bells announcing the resurrection of Christ.
Sadly, weapons are increasingly replacing words. I renew the call for the Easter Truce, the smallest tangible sign of the desire for peace. Let the attacks stop to ease the suffering of the exhausted population,” the Argentine pope added.
On Sunday, the United Nations also called for an “immediate” truce in Mariupol to allow the evacuation of some 100,000 civilians. who remained trapped in this Ukrainian port city controlled almost entirely by the Russian army.
On April 10, during Palm Sunday, the Pope had already called for an “Easter truce to bring peace through real negotiations”, and on Thursday he joined the UN Secretary-General’s call, Anthony Guterres, for a truce.
* With information from Agence France-Presse.
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