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Pope Francis hospitalised

Pope Francis, 86, was hospitalised in Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday with a respiratory infection that requires him to remain under observation for a few days. "In recent days Pope Francis has complained of some breathing difficulties," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement. The pope was taken to hospital for medical checkup, which then revealed the respiratory infection. Bruni added that tests have shown it was not Covid, but the infection “will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical treatment". “Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” Bruni added. The statement comes after the Italian media questioned whether the pope was unexpectedly hospitalised, or if he actually went for a scheduled checkup, as a TV interview scheduled with the pope Wednesday afternoon had been cancelled at the last minute. Earlier that day, the pope appeared to be in good spirits as he greeted the general audience at the Vatican in his popemobile. A Vatican source has also confirmed that the pope’s activities on Thursday were cancelled, and others were likely to follow, in what is his busiest period with Easter Sunday coming up on April 9. Pope Francis has had part of his lungs removed in his early 20s after almost dying when he developed pleurisy, so he is generally more exposed to respiratory problems. He also suffers from diverticulitis, which is a condition that can infect or inflame pouches in the digestive tract, and has had surgery for it in 2021. In January, he said that the condition had returned and did not elaborate further. The pope also has a problem with his knee, which has led him to cancel or limit activities last year and alternates between using a cane and a wheelchair in public. Despite all of his health issues, the pope has said that he has no plans to resign soon, unless his health deterred him from doing his job. Image: Getty

Caring

Abdallah family overwhelmed by incredible invitation

Two years following the tragic loss of their three children to a drunk and drugged driver, the Abdallah family say they have been “humbled” and invited to share their story with the Pope. Danny and Leila Abdallah’s daughters Sienna and Angelina and son Antony were killed alongside their cousin in February 2020. The grief stricken parents largely credit their faith in being able to move forward following the tragedy, starting the foundation ‘i4give’. On Saturday, Leila announced via Instagram that she and Danny had been invited to share their story on a global scale. “Danny and I feel humbled and honoured that our Bishop Antoine Charbel Taraby invited us to attend the WMOF 2022 (World meeting of families 2022) all glory to God always. “Our mission is to serve the Lord and our children for the rest of our lives.” “Please pray that we can have i4give on a global platform starting at the Vatican.” “We thank all our fellow Australians for their love and ongoing support, you have showed Danny and I the true meaning of the Aussie spirit and we are grateful.” The family have welcomed a baby daughter in March, naming her Selina. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFH6e_hkEF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFH6e_hkEF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a> </div> </blockquote> The World Meeting of Families takes place in Rome at the end of June. Image: Instagram

Family & Pets

Pope unveils strongest language yet on vaccination

Pope Francis has shared his strongest views on the Covid vaccine, describing it as a "moral obligation", simultaneously denouncing those who have been persuaded by "baseless information" to refuse a life-saving measure. Francis shared his views for the first time in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See: an annual event that discusses the Vatican's foreign policy goals for the upcoming year. Pope Francis, 85, has previously held back from sharing views on the vaccine, though his Covid-19 advisory body has referred to it as a "moral responsibility". Now however, he has deemed vaccination as "an act of love" and that refusing to get jabbed was simply "suicidal". During his speech, he said that individuals had a duty of care to consider which "translates into respect for the health of those around us". “Health care is a moral obligation,” he said. “Frequently people let themselves be influenced by the ideology of the moment, often bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts,” he said, calling for the adoption of a “reality therapy” to correct this distortion of human reason. “Vaccines are not a magical means of healing, yet surely they represent, in addition to other treatments that need to be developed, the most reasonable solution for the prevention of the disease,” he added. Some Catholics, including conservative US cardinals and bishops, have claimed that vaccines were immoral and have refused to get the jab, based on research that claims vaccines used cells derived from aborted foetuses. However, the Vatican's doctrine office has said that is "morally acceptable" for those in the Catholic faith to get the jab. Francis repeated his call for universal vaccines and health care availabilities for all, especially in parts of the world with low vaccination rates, while also calling for governing bodies to let these countries develop their own vaccines. “It is appropriate that institutions such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation adapt their legal instruments lest monopolistic rules constitute further obstacles to production and to an organised and consistent access to health care on a global level,” he said. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

Pope labels couples choosing pets over children as selfish

Pope Francis has called couples who have pets instead of children selfish while speaking to a general audience on Wednesday. The Pope also argued that forgoing parenthood "takes away our humanity" and poses risks to wider society. He made the comments while speaking about Saint Joseph, Jesus' earthly father. While lauding Joseph's decision to raise Jesus as "among the highest forms of love", the Pope veered onto the topics of adoption, orphaned children, and couples that opt for animals over children. "We see that people do not want to have children, or just one and no more", he <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/opting-for-pets-over-children-is-selfish-and-takes-away-our-humanity-says-pope-francis/fc15279d-cfdb-4b58-85d0-5bdcef68bdfe" target="_blank">said</a>. “And many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one - but they have two dogs, two cats … yes, dogs and cats take the place of children. “Yes, it’s funny. I understand, but it is the reality. And this denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us, it takes away our humanity. And in this way civilisation becomes aged and without humanity, because it loses the richness of fatherhood and motherhood. And our homeland suffers, as it does not have children.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Dear Pope Francis I’m a catholic who chose dogs over children but I don’t consider myself selfish. Probably doing this over populated world a favour <a href="https://t.co/9AMFs2JS9p">pic.twitter.com/9AMFs2JS9p</a> — dominic dyer (@domdyer70) <a href="https://twitter.com/domdyer70/status/1479116896867794948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2022</a></blockquote> Though it may be surprising as the Pope is considered quite progressive, these comments echo the Catholic Church’s teachings about the importance of couples bearing or raising children. Pope Frances said couples who cannot biologically have children should consider adoption. “How many children in the world are waiting for someone to take care of them?” he said. “Having a child is always a risk, either naturally or by adoption. But it is riskier not to have them. It is riskier to deny fatherhood, or to deny motherhood, be it real or spiritual.” His statements have since drawn criticism on social media, with some calling out his comments about childless couples while the church continues to face allegations of sexual abuse against children. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Worry about all those sexual abuse allegations against the church instead of childless people <a href="https://t.co/5ggoAJTpGr">pic.twitter.com/5ggoAJTpGr</a> — Enter The Void (@killl_the_rich) <a href="https://twitter.com/killl_the_rich/status/1478832192591695874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote> The Christian leader has made several controversial statements relating to animals in the past. He made similar comments about couples choosing pets over parenthood in 2014, while comments he made in 2016 that appeared to claim that animals go to heaven were analysed and later called into question. But, he has had plenty of positive interactions too, having been photographed petting dogs, holding birds, and carrying a lamb over his shoulders. Image: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Pope Francis shows support for same-sex marriage for the first time

Pope Francis has defended the right of gay couples to enter into a legally recognised civil union in a documentary that premiered at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday. In the film, Fransesco by Evgeny Afineevsky, the religious leader says that gay people have the right to be in a family. “These are children of God, they have the right to a family,” Francis says in the film, speaking in Spanish. “What we have to create is a law of civil union, they have the right to be legally protected. I have defended that.” According to biographer Austen Ivereigh, the future pope backed civil unions for gay couples while he was still the archbishop of Buenos Aires and known as Jorge Bergoglio. But Francis has been vocal about his stance of gay marriage in the past, saying that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. “‘Marriage’ is a historic word,” he told French sociologist Dominique Wolton in a 2017 book of interviews. “Always among human beings, and not only in the Church, it has been between a man and a woman. You can’t just change that like that.” “Since the beginning of the pontificate the Pope has spoken of respect for homosexuals and has been against their discrimination,” Vatican expert Vania de Luca told RaiNews. “The novelty today is that he defends as pope a law for civil unions.” After becoming pope in 2013, Francis welcomed homosexuals with his now famous phrase, “Who am I to judge?” and has invited gay couples to the Vatican on multiple occasions. The two-hour documentary looks back at the last seven years pf his pontificate and travels. One of the most heartfelt moments in the film os when the Pope called a gay couple, parents of three young children, after they sent him a letter saying they felt ashamed to bring their children to the parish. Francis invited them over regardless, saying to not be concerned of other people’s judgements. In the past, he has regularly said gay people should be accepted in their parishes and urged parents not to reject their gay children. Chilean Juan Carlos Cruz, an activist against sexual abuse within the Church, accompanied the director to the film screening on Wednesday. “When I met Pope Francis he told me he was very sorry about what happened. Juan, it is God who made you gay and he loves you anyway. God loves you and the Pope loves you too,” says Cruz in the film.

Relationships

Pope Francis falls ill a day after supporting coronavirus victims

Pope Francis has cancelled a planned service in Rome due to a “slight ailment”, just a day after he expressed support for coronavirus sufferers around the world. “Due to a slight ailment, [the pope] preferred to stay in the vicinity of Santa Marta,” his residence within the Vatican, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement on Thursday. The 83-year-old pontiff was supposed to lead a Lenten service in the Basilica of St John’s in Lateran. The announcement came amid fears of coronavirus outbreak in Italy. As of Thursday, 528 cases have been confirmed and 11 towns have been placed under lockdown. The day before, Francis expressed solidarity for the victims of the public health crisis during his general audience in St Peter’s Square on Ash Wednesday. “I wish, again, to express my closeness to those who are ill with coronavirus and to health care workers who are caring for them,” he said. He was seen coughing and blowing his nose during the Ash Wednesday mass.

Body

Pope Francis apologises for slapping woman’s hand

Pope Francis has apologised for slapping the hand of a woman who grabbed him during a New Year’s Eve appearance, saying he provided a “bad example”. The head of the Catholic church was greeting pilgrims at the Vatican on Tuesday night when a woman in the crowd seized his hand and yanked him toward her. In a video footage of the incident, Francis could be seen hitting her hand before pulling his hand free. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Visibly disgruntled Pope Francis pulled himself away from a woman in a St. Peter's Square crowd after she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her <a href="https://t.co/2nap3RhTHC">https://t.co/2nap3RhTHC</a> <a href="https://t.co/nrvpxJcEob">pic.twitter.com/nrvpxJcEob</a> — Reuters (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1212171579276152834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2020</a></blockquote> “So many times we lose patience, even me, and I apologise for yesterday’s bad example,” the 83-year-old pontiff said at the end of the traditional New Year Mass in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday. In the service at St Peter’s Basilica, the pope also condemned violence against women, saying the “rebirth of humanity began with a woman”. “All violence inflicted on women is a desecration of God,” he said. “By how we treat a woman’s body, we can understand our level of humanity.” In March, Pope Francis also went viral after a clip showed him repeatedly withdrawing his hand away from being kissed by worshippers. The tradition of kissing the papal ring is seen as a sign of respect to the pontiff. “The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti told reporters at the time. “He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.”

International Travel

Where did he go? Pope Francis rescued after 25-minute scare

While thousands of eager churchgoers gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the usual traditional Sunday service, the main attraction was nowhere to be found. Usually, the service starts specifically at the dot-of-noon, and involved the Catholic leader sharing a few words and giving his blessing, but after seven minutes of waiting the same question began to buzz around the square: where is the pope? After 25 minutes, he appeared and said: "First of all I must excuse myself for being late. I was blocked in an elevator for 25 minutes." Francis explained the electric power had a “drop in tension,” which caused the elevator to become stuck. "Thank God the firefighters intervened," he said in reference to the on hand Vatican City State’s own fire department. The influential Catholic church leader concluded his announcement by asking the audience to give his “rescuers” a round of applause for he shared the news of 13 new churchmen of becoming new cardinals. The Vatican has not confirmed if the pope was alone or accompanied by any of his aides in the elevator.

Travel Trouble

Mother Teresa declared a saint by Pope Francis

Mother Teresa has been declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, 19 years after her death. The nun, who became a global icon of Christian charity for her work with poor people in the slums of Kolkata in India, was officially made a saint on Sunday. More than 100,000 pilgrims from around the world travelled to the canonisation mass in St Peter's square in the Vatican City. "For the honour of the Blessed Trinity... we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata) to be a Saint and we enrol her among the Saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church," said Pope Francis in Latin. <img width="526" height="351" src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7812464-3x2-700x467.jpg" alt="The Vatican" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> The ceremony came a day before the 19th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death in Kolkata, the city where she spent nearly four decades helping the dying and destitute. The pontiff said that even though the nun had been declared a saint, she would always be Mother Teresa to the Catholic family. Pope Francis described Mother Teresa's work as "eloquent witness to God's closeness to the poorest of the poor". "Mother Teresa loved to say, 'perhaps I don't speak their language but I can smile'," he said. "Let us carry her smile in our hearts and give it to those whom we meet along our journey, especially those who suffer." Watch Mother Teresa officially become a saint in the video above. What do you think of the decision? Share your opinion with us in the comments below. Video source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EotbjXOtnVo" target="_blank">AFP</a> Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/04/man-sells-bakery-to-homeless-man-who-saved-his-life/">French baker to sell business to homeless man for $1.50</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/08/aussie-expat-befriends-lonely-91-year-old/">Young Aussie expat befriends lonely 91-year-old</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/08/homelessness-crisis-point-in-regional-australia/">Homelessness hits "crisis point" in regional Australia</a>

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