CV NEWS FEED // Despite being hospitalized for double pneumonia, Pope Francis continued to lead the Church by appealing for peace, initiating plans for the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly and appointing new bishops, Vatican News reported this week.
The article states that the Pope was likewise isolated in 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide lockdown.
“Today, Pope Francis finds himself in a similar position — convalescing at home after a serious case of pneumonia, which left him hospitalised for 38 days,” Vatican News reports. “Although the crisis has shifted from a global pandemic to war, rearmament, and growing poverty, the message is the same, and that is that we are all in this together.”
Throughout his hospitalization, the Pope continued to follow world conflicts, the outlet reports and continually called for peace in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, the Middle East, Myanmar, the DRC, and Sudan. He renounced the absurdity of war during his Angelus address, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after heavy bombings.
The Pope also made 44 appointments during his hospital stay, including bishops, nuncios, and Vatican officials.
He also established three-year preparation plans for the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly, which “aims to build on progress made without the need for a new Synod.”
“Amid personal illness and global turmoil, Pope Francis has remained a steady and guiding figure for the Church,” the article concludes. “Even when physically distant, his leadership never faltered. He has continued to show that, even in isolation, the Pope is never truly absent, always present in spirit and action.”
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