Pope Francis toured St. Peter's Square in the Vatican in an open popemobile for the first time since being discharged from hospital, where he was admitted for double pneumonia, and greeted tens of thousands of Catholics in the square after the Easter Mass, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The 88-year-old pope was sitting in a raised chair in the back of the car, which passed by people in the square, many of whom waved flags of different countries and chanted “Viva il papa!” (Long live the Pope!).
The car stopped briefly at several points in the square, which was decorated with colorful Easter flowers, so that Francis could bless babies handed to him by his aides. The pope gestured with his hands, but did not raise them very high.
Francis, who is limiting his workload on the advice of his doctors, did not lead the Easter Mass at the Vatican and appeared only at the end to bless the gathered people and for the Urbi et Orbi (Latin: “To the city and the world“) speech.
In the speech, which was read by his aide, the pope reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. According to the Holy Father, the situation in the Palestinian enclave is “dramatic and deplorable“. The pope also called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to release the remaining hostages and condemned what he called a "disturbing" trend of increasing anti-Semitism around the world.
"I express my sympathy for the suffering […] of the entire Israeli people and the Palestinian people," his message continued. "I appeal to the warring parties: Declare a ceasefire, release the hostages and provide aid to the starving people who are striving for a peaceful future."
Francis appeared tired and had difficulty speaking despite his improved breathing, the Associated Press noted. He urged world leaders "not to succumb to the logic of fear that limits freedom." From Yemen to Ukraine, Sudan, the Sahel and Syria, the pope named dozens of countries in conflict and renewed his call for disarmament - one of his main causes. "Against the brutality of conflicts that kill defenseless civilians, where schools and hospitals are attacked, as well as aid workers, we cannot afford to forget that it is not targets that are being hit, but people with souls and dignity," Francis said.