Pope returns to work after taking day off
Pope Francis returned to work yesterday after taking a day off with a fever, the Vatican said, with the pontiff set to hold several private audiences.
The 86-year-old, who was hospitalised with bronchitis nearly two months ago, had a full calendar of meetings lined up, it said.
On Friday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni had said the Argentine pope was not holding audiences “due to a feverish state”.
It was unclear who the pope had been expected to meet with, as his agenda was not made public.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin blamed the pontiff’s busy schedule, saying he was “tired”.
Francis had eight meetings on Thursday, according to his published schedule.
His next public appearance is today’s mass at St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Pentecost, followed by the traditional Regina Coeli prayer.
Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Francis, leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics since 2013, has suffered increasing health issues over the past year, from persistent pain in his right knee to his recent hospital stay for bronchitis.
The episodes have sparked widespread concern and fuelled speculation that he might choose to retire rather than stay in the job for life, a choice made by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
In late March, Francis was admitted to hospital in Rome after having breathing difficulties and stayed for three nights.
He was treated with antibiotics for bronchitis. As he left the Gemelli Hospital on April 1, the pope smiled and joked with well-wishers, quipping: “I am still alive!”
Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters yesterday slammed the controversy that erupted after he donned a Nazi-style uniform at a Berlin concert as politically motivated.
Waters sparked an uproar after images on social media showed him wearing a long, black coat with red armbands on stage at the Mercedes-Benz arena last week.
Berlin police said they were probing Waters for incitement to hatred and Germany’s official in charge of fighting antiSemitism called for Waters to be held accountable.
Wearing or display of symbols evoking the Nazi era are crimes in Germany.
In a statement released yesterday, Waters dismissed the criticism as politically motivated.
“My recent performance in Berlin has attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles,” he said in the statement that was posted on his Twitter account.
Waters is a well-known proPalestinian activist who has been accused of holding anti-Jewish views. He has floated an inflatable pig emblazoned with the Star of David at his concerts.
Waters has played in several German cities in recent weeks as part of his This Is Not a Drill tour.
But it has been hugely controversial with some city officials even trying, unsuccessfully, to ban him from performing.
The Another Brick in the Wall singer denies the anti-Semitism accusations, saying he protests against Israeli policies and not the Jewish people.
“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms,” Waters said in his statement.
“The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s The Wall in 1980,” he said.
At the same Berlin concert, Waters also flashed the names of several deceased people on a large screen, including that of Anne Frank, the Jewish teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp.