Pope Francis appears in good form and reads homily after the flu sent him to the hospital for tests
Pope Francis appears to be in good form as he made his first parish visit outside the Vatican this year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pope Francis appeared in good form on Friday in his first parish visit outside the Vatican this year, delivering his homily and hearing confessions after a lingering bout of the flu had sent him to the hospital for tests and forced him to cancel some appointments last week.
In a strong voice with only occasional coughing, Francis read his homily aloud after a week in which he had regularly asked an aide to deliver his remarks to spare him the strain. He is still having mobility problems and uses a wheelchair rather than walk with a cane, even for a short distance.
Francis presided over a Mass and heard confessions at the St. Pius V church not far from the Vatican — his first parish outing this year. He had canceled some audiences over the past week because of what the Vatican said was a slight case of the flu.
He went to the hospital Feb. 28 for unspecified diagnostic tests, the results of which have not been released. He has been suffering on and off this winter from what he and the Vatican have said was a cold, bouts of bronchitis and the flu.
The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed as a young man because of a respiratory infection, and he often speaks in a whisper even when not sick. In 2021, he had a chunk of his colon removed and last year had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue.