Pope Francis appeared in public for the first time since being bedridden.
According to Italy's ANSA news agency, on the 29th (local time), the Pope attended the Wednesday General Audience held at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall and said, "Dear brothers and sisters, good morning." He then added, "I am still not well due to this gripe (Spanish for flu)" and "My voice is not good."
Pope Francis did not read the catechism himself but entrusted the reading to an aide. However, he personally read the subsequent speech. With heavy breathing, he called for an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the release of all hostages, and the allowance of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Regarding the war in Ukraine, he also said, "We call for peace."
The Pope showed flu symptoms since last weekend and canceled scheduled events. A computed tomography (CT) scan at the hospital revealed no pneumonia but detected lung inflammation causing breathing difficulties.
The Vatican announced the previous evening that Pope Francis canceled his attendance at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to health issues. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni stated, "The Pope's flu and lung inflammation have generally improved, but his personal physician recommended canceling the scheduled Dubai visit," adding, "The Pope regretted this but accepted the advice."
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