Pope Francis Battles Bronchitis Amid Busy Schedule and Judicial Year Opening

Despite the severe bronchitis, the morning of the 87-year-old pontiff - just like yesterday - is filled with meetings, speeches, and audiences. The flu tail that continues to bother him, causing cough, hoarse voice, and fatigue, has not influenced today's schedule which remained unchanged. Even this morning, Pope Francis could not read the prepared speeches, entrusting the texts to a Vatican official who has been appearing beside him in public for some days, lending him his voice. In the Hall of Blessings, in front of the Vatican magistrates for the inauguration of the judicial year, Francis was often interrupted by coughing fits. At one point, he apologized with these words: "I thank all of you, I have prepared a speech but you hear my inability to read it due to bronchitis." How Pope Francis Is Doing In the speech interpreted by Monsignor Ciampanelli, the pontiff spoke about the fair trial and how the Holy See seeks to approach Western standards. "It takes courage to go all the way in the rigorous ascertainment of truth, remembering that doing justice is always an act of charity, an opportunity for fraternal correction that intends to help the other recognize his mistake. This is especially true when behaviors that are particularly serious and scandalous emerge and must be sanctioned, even more so when they occur within the Christian community. Courage disorients the corrupt." For several months, the state of inflammation in the bronchi persists. In December and also in January, the Pope was forced to forfeit some appointments. Last Wednesday, after the general audience, Bergoglio was taken to the Gemelli Island Tiber Island Hospital to have a CT scan and rule out pneumonia. Then he returned to the Vatican an hour later accompanied by Massimiliano Strappetti, the nurse who always follows him and to whom the task of overseeing the medical treatments has been entrusted. A figure of utmost trust. "He saved my life," said the Pope two years ago, recovering from colon surgery at Gemelli. Five hours of operation and the resection of about 30 centimeters of intestine. The Audience with Scholz In the audience this morning there is also the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz. It is the first time they meet and the Pope cares a lot about this audience. In the past, they had already seen and spoken to each other for a few minutes on the occasion of the funeral of Benedict XVI in the Vatican. However, they had the opportunity to exchange opinions over the phone shortly after Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Today's meeting has been highly emphasized in Germany due to the internal situation marked on one side by the economic crisis and the stormy events of the German Church, on the other. The bishops have long been demanding radical reforms that Rome struggles to grant in terms of morality, gender equality, and democratic practice. Of the topics that the Pope and Scholz will discuss this morning, little is known but it is easy to guess that they will include the latest international events, Putin's threats, the war against Kiev, the disastrous situation in the Gaza Strip and in Israel. Scholz is a Protestant who grew up distancing himself from religious practice until he definitively left the Church a few years ago. In Germany, in fact, it is possible to unsubscribe from the register of religions (also to avoid paying religious taxes). So when he assumed the governmental role, he made the oath without the formula in which God is mentioned. However, explains the KNA agency, religions and churches are considered important for the president, starting with the Christian work ethic and the values that are transmitted by the Holy Scriptures. When he was mayor of Hamburg, he cooperated a lot with the Church, which he considers a great resource.