ROME (NEWSnet/AP) — Pope Francis on Friday made his first public appearance outdoors since being stricken by bronchitis two weeks ago.
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.
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.”
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.
Copyright 2023 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.