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Standing behind a desk and next to a Christmas tree and a nativity scene, the pontiff led the traditional Angelus prayers in the Apostolic Palace.
FILE: Pope Francis. Image: AFP.
VATICAN CITY, Holy See – Pope Francis appeared in public Friday for the first time since he skipped New Year’s Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica due to a sciatica attack.
Standing behind a desk and next to a Christmas tree and a nativity scene, the pontiff led the traditional Angelus prayers in the Apostolic Palace.
“I send you my best wishes for peace and serenity in the new year,” he said.
“The painful events that marked the life of humanity last year, particularly the pandemic, taught us how necessary it is to take an interest in the problems of others and share their concerns.”
The Vatican announced Thursday that Francis would not be able to celebrate New Year’s Masses on Thursday night and Friday morning because he suffered from sciatica, a chronic nerve condition that caused the 84-year-old man’s hip pain.
Shortly before Christmas, two cardinals in the Pope’s entourage contracted Covid-19, raising fears that Francis, who rarely wears a mask, is at risk of infection.
During Italy’s first blockade in March, Francis initially delivered his Sunday Angelus prayers from the Vatican library instead of his usual window overlooking the crowds in St. Peter’s Square.
The restraint led him to say that he felt “caged”, and he made several brief appearances at the window, greeting the few people who ventured out into the vast plaza.
The Pope has a risk factor for the coronavirus in addition to his advanced age. When he was 21 years old in 1957, he suffered from severe pleurisy, which required surgery to remove part of his right lung, according to biographer Austen Ivereigh.
The Vatican has not yet indicated when the Pope can be vaccinated against Covid-19.
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