Pope Francis personally thanked the health care workers and medical staff who cared for him in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for 38 days while he recovered from respiratory infections.
The Gospel contains a great message of hope, “because it tells us that wherever we are lost and however we are lost, God always comes looking for us!” said the text for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience.
Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of one woman and five men, including Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect who designed the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain.
Jesus loves people as they are, not based on their merit or righteousness, said the text for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience.
As Pope Francis continues his recovery at the Vatican, he is very slowly beginning to get back to his old routine of meeting with top Vatican officials, the Vatican press office said.
Saying “yes” to God’s plan for one’s life does not mean everything will be easy, but it does mean knowing that God is there and will help, Pope Francis said.
During his second week back at the Vatican after a long hospitalization, Pope Francis continued to follow his doctors’ orders to stay home, avoid visitors, and keep up with respiratory and physical therapy, the Vatican press office said.
The Catholic Church is a new and reconciled humanity thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the source of communion, harmony, and fraternity, Pope Francis wrote.
Even when a person seems totally lost and unable to find a way back to God, the Lord is already looking for him or her, said the text for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience.
Christian joy is for everyone, not just for a privileged few, Pope Francis wrote.