Today Pope Francis appeared at the Sunday Angelus from the balcony of the fifth floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where he has been hospitalized for 37 days due to bilateral pneumonia. The Pontiff, seated in a wheelchair, briefly greeted the medical staff of the Catholic University and the Gemelli Polyclinic and blessed the crowd of faithful that filled the forecourt still adorned with drawings, flowers, dedications, lit candles, and rosary wreaths that they have placed there in recent days. Then, during the drive from Gemelli to the Vatican in his white Fiat 500 that proceeded slowly through the crowd, the Pontiff decided, in a change of plans, to visit the icon of the Salus Populi Romani at Santa Maria Maggiore where he gathered in prayer. The sacred image reproduced and spread all over the world is invoked in famines, wars and plagues. Pope Francis then presented Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas with an offering of flowers to place before the icon. Arriving at the Vatican, a huge and excited crowd of faithful and pilgrims greeted him with chants and applause as he reciprocated by waving.
Before showing himself to the faithful, the pontiff shared the text of the Angelus for Sunday, March 23 with media outlets: “In this long time of hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the Lord’s patience, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of the doctors and health care workers, as well as in the attentions and hopes of the family members of the sick. This trusting patience, anchored in God’s love that does not fail, is indeed necessary to our lives, especially in facing the most difficult and painful situations,” the pontiff added.
“I was saddened by the resumption of heavy Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with so many dead and wounded. I call for an immediate halt to the weapons; and for the courage to resume dialogue, so that all hostages may be freed and a definitive ceasefire may be reached,” he says. “In the Strip, the humanitarian situation is again very serious and demands the urgent commitment of the warring parties and the international community,” the Pontiff adds.
“With such patience and perseverance you are continuing to pray for me: thank you so much! I too pray for you,” the pope says in the text prepared for the Angelus prayer. “And together we beg for an end to wars and for peace, especially in the martyred Ukraine, in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo. May the Virgin Mary guard us and continue to accompany us on our journey toward Easter.”
