The pontiff received questions about his state of health on the return flight from Lisbon, where he presided over World Youth Day. It was his first trip since he spent nine days hospitalized in June after last-minute surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and remove scarred intestinal tissue.
The trip, which took place during a heat wave that sent the thermometer reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Lisbon, was notable because the 86-year-old pontiff often deviated from his speeches, homilies and even his sentences, which are typically written months in advance and focused on specific events and audiences.
One of the most notable acts in which Francis deviated from the script was when he was to deliver a prayer for peace at the Shrine of Fatima, which is famous precisely for its centuries-old connection to calls for peace and the conversion of Russia after the first World War.
Given the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a papal prayer for peace at the Shrine was supposed to be one of the most notable moments of Francis’ visit, but also a potentially controversial one at a time when the Vatican seeks to maintain its relations with Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has expressed strong support for the Kremlin invasion.
Instead of delivering his prayer, Francis improvised his speech in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary and skipped the prayer entirely, instead reciting a Hail Mary along with disabled youth. The Vatican later posted part of the prayer on the pope’s account on platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
When asked why, Francis insisted on the flight back to Rome that he had prayed silently for peace, but did not want to give “publicity” to a public prayer.
“I prayed! I prayed! I prayed to the Virgin and I prayed for peace. I did not advertise. But I prayed. And we have to continually repeat this prayer for peace.”
A Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Francis initially wanted to travel to Fatima alone, accompanied only by a few gendarmes for a private visit, but later agreed to an official public visit. The official denied that any ecclesiastical and diplomatic situation had affected the pontiff’s decisions, suggesting instead that the omission was part of an attempt to separate Fatima’s mystical and religious value from its Soviet and World War I history.
Meanwhile, Francis said he cut back on his other speeches because he realized young people “don’t pay much attention” and he needed to engage them, not lecture them with long, complicated speeches or homilies, he said.
“Sometimes homilies can be torture,” he commented. “Bla bla bla”.
He said the Church must accept a new idea so that homilies are “brief and with a clear, loving message.”
As for his recovery, Francisco said his abdominal stitches were removed, but he had to wear a protective belt for two to three months to ensure his incision healed properly. “I am in good health,” he pointed out.
In other comments, the pontiff said he included LGBTQ+ Catholics in his call that “everyone, everyone, everyone” is welcome in the Catholic Church. The comment became in a certain way a motto for this World Youth Day, in a reflection of his vision of an inclusive Church open to all.
“The Church is mother,” he commented. “Each of us encounters God in his own way in the Church. And the Church is mother, and guides each one on his way.
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FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
