On April 20, on Easter, Pope Francis appeared before the public for the first time after being discharged from the hospital, greeting those present from the popemobile. In his speech, the pontiff mentioned “war-ravaged” Ukraine. About this informs The Sky News.
“May the resurrected Christ give Ukraine, devastated by war, his Easter gift of peace and encourage all involved parties to make efforts aimed at achieving a just and durable peace”, says the Pope’s message.
He blessed thousands of believers who came to the Vatican for the Easter Sunday celebration. Francis, 88, looked frail as he was taken to the balcony of St. Peter’s Cathedral and then driven through the crowd in the popemobile.
He was greeted with loud shouts, applause and chants of “Viva il Papa” — long live the Pope. It was his longest public appearance since a five-week hospitalization for bilateral pneumonia.
The crowd stretched their arms forward and filmed as Pope Francis drove past in a special vehicle. The Popemobile stopped several times so that the pontiff could bless the babies and young children, as well as give them gifts.
We will remind that on February 14, the Pope was hospitalized in a Roman hospital after several days of difficulty breathing. Later, doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia in both lungs. Double pneumonia is a serious disease that causes inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue, making it difficult to breathe. In the Vatican, the Pope’s infection was described as “complicated”.
Francis, who has headed the Catholic Church since 2013, has an increased vulnerability to lung diseases, as he suffered from pleurisy in his youth, after which part of one of his lungs was removed.
