Pope absent from St Peter's Square for third week running

Pope Francis is unable to deliver his traditional Angelus prayer in person, with the Vatican publishing a text.

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The Vatican said the text, sent from his hospital room in Rome, had been written "in the past few days". In it, the Pope thanked people for their prayers and thanked his medical team for their care.

"I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," he wrote.

"At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people."

The Pope told Catholics around the world that he felt their "affection and closeness".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kgqdkx9jxo

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