Pope Francis calls for end of Gaza conflict

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, March 3, 2024. (Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS)

VATICAN CITY  – Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the conflict in Gaza, as he showed signs of recovery after suffering from bronchitis.

On Saturday the 87-year-old pope delegated the reading of a speech at a ceremony to an aide, and on Wednesday he made a brief trip to a Rome hospital after he missed reading at his weekly audience, saying he had “a bit of cold”.

“Each day I carry in my heart with pain the suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities, thousands of dead, injured, displaced,” Francis said, speaking by himself with a clear voice at the Angelus payer in Rome.

Addressing believers in St Peter’s Square, Francis stressed the consequences of the conflict on children and asked for the release of all the hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid.

“Do you really think you can build a better world in this way? Do you really think you will achieve peace? Enough please! Let us all say enough please! Stop!” Francis said

Francis has had a number of health issues in recent months.

He was forced to cancel a planned trip to a COP28 climate meeting in Dubai at the start of December because of the effects of influenza and lung inflammation.

In January, he was unable to complete a speech owing to “a touch of bronchitis”.