News Agency
\nVATICAN CITY
\nPope Francis ushered in the New Year on Friday with a traditional Angelus blessing from the papal library, pushing through nerve pain that forced him to skip New Year\u2019s ceremonies in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.
\nThe pope appeared relaxed as he stood at a lectern in the Apostolic Palace wishing the faithful watching via video \u201ca year of peace, a year of hope.\u201d He smiled into the camera as he repeated his customary sign-off, \u201cdon\u2019t forget to pray for me,\u201d and wishing everyone \u201ca good lunch.\u201d
\nThe papal blessing was moved inside from the usual perch at a window overlooking St. Peter\u2019s Square to discourage crowds as Italy is living under tighter COVID-19 restrictions this holiday season.
\nFrancis has spoken openly about his sciatica in the past. It is a form of pain in the lower body caused by compression or irritation on nerve roots or on the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower spine down the thigh.
\nAt the conclusion of the Angelus, the pope called for peace in Yemen, where children are living \u201cwithout education, without medicine, hungry,\u201d and for the release of the Rev. Moses Chikwe, a bishop in the Owerri archdiocese of Nigeria, who was kidnapped last Sunday by gunmen.
\nIn his Angelus blessing, the pope said \u201cthe pandemic taught us how much it is necessary to take interest in others\u2019 problems and to share their concerns.\u201d
\nIn a similar vein, in a homily prepared for delivery by the pope but instead read by his secretary of state earlier Saturday, Francis wrote that there is need of a \u201cvaccine for the heart. This vaccine is the cure. It will be a good year if we take care of others.\u201d
\nHe said that peace can happen if everyone, everywhere takes \u201cby the hand those who need a comforting word, a tender gesture,\u201d and \u201cif we begin to be in peace with ourselves, and with those who are near us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News Agency VATICAN CITY Pope Francis ushered in the New Year on Friday with a traditional Angelus blessing from the papal library, pushing through nerve pain that forced him to skip New Year\u2019s ceremonies in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. The pope appeared relaxed as he stood at a lectern in the Apostolic Palace wishing the faithful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n