POPE REAPPEARS AFTER BEING SIDELINED BY SCIATICA

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis reappeared Friday after chronic sciatic pain forced him to miss New Year's services, and made no mention of his ailment as he delivered his traditional appeal for world peace. The Pope was unable to attend services on Thursday and again on Friday morning because of the sciatica — a relatively common problem that causes pain along the sciatic nerve down the lower back and legs. He showed no sign of discomfort as he delivered a noon address and prayer, standing at a lectern in the library of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. “Life today is governed by war, by enmity, by many things that are destructive. We want peace. It is a gift,” Francis said, adding that the response to the global coronavirus crisis showed the importance of burden-sharing.