Pope Francis Battles Bronchitis and Inaugurates Judicial Year Amidst Strong Statements on Gender Ideology

It's a particularly hoarse voice this morning that of Pope Francis who has nonetheless confirmed and participated in person at all appointments. In the Hall of Blessings, he addressed, often interrupted by bouts of coughing, the audience with these words: "I thank all of you, I have prepared a speech but you hear my inability to read it due to bronchitis." Pope Francis: "Gender ideology? A serious danger, erasing difference is erasing humanity." Soon a document. Pope Francis inaugurates the judicial year. "I declare the judicial year for 2024 open." With this simple formula, pronounced in front of Pope Francis in the Hall of Blessings, the president of the Vatican tribunal, Giuseppe Pignatone, inaugurated the new judicial year in the Vatican. Francis, still fatigued, addressed a few words of greeting but then let the speech prepared by his collaborator, Monsignor Filippo Ciampanelli, be read. The greeting was instead given by Alessandro Diddi, Vatican promoter of justice, who wanted to emphasize "the credibility" that the Vatican jurisdiction "has been able to conquer in the international order for years now" despite its non-membership in the European Union, "the past year," he added, "was characterized by the conduct of important trials, both in the civil and criminal sectors."