http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1312118.htm
Pope appears at hospital window to give blessing Pope John Paul II has made a surprise appearance at his hospital window in Rome, his first since undergoing surgery on his throat last Thursday. Aides wheeled the 84-year-old Pontiff to the window shortly after midday (local time). John Paul II waved to the applauding crowd outside the Gemelli Hospital, made the sign of the cross and touched his throat briefly as he lingered at the closed window for a couple of minutes. The Pope, who had a tracheotomy to ease his breathing after a relapse of his flu, was unable to perform the official Sunday Angelus blessing at St Peter's Square, which was given in his name by an aide, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. In a message read out by Archbishop Sandri to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in the Vatican square, the Pope urged the faithful to "pray for me". "I ask you above all to continue to accompany me with your prayers," the message said. The Pope is missing giving the formal Sunday blessing for the first time in his pontificate. He had not been seen in public since Thursday, when he was readmitted to hospital for the second time in a month with a relapse of his flu. Doctors performed a tracheotomy, inserting a tube into a hole in his throat to ease his breathing, later that evening. The Vatican, which on Friday said the Pope was recovering and eating with a healthy appetite, said it would provide an update on his condition on Monday (local time). "The current climate of penitence during Lent also helps us to better understand the suffering which, in one way or another, affects us all," John Paul II said in his message in an obvious reference to his own illness. "I want this message of comfort and hope to reach everyone, especially those who are going through difficult times, who are suffering in body and soul." -AFP ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/hjtSRD/3MnJAA/i1hLAA/wpWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> "[M]y ministry is that of servus servorum Dei." --Pope John Paul II (Ut Unum Sint, no. 88) "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it." --Matthew 16:18 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pope-John-Paul-II/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
