Pope Francis thanks doctors who saved his life in meeting at Vatican

Pope Francis thanks doctors who saved his life in meeting at Vatican
Pope Francis meets with personnel from Gemelli hospital and Vatican medical staff, at the Vatican, Apr. 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 16 April 2025

Pope Francis thanks doctors who saved his life in meeting at Vatican

Pope Francis thanks doctors who saved his life in meeting at Vatican
  • The 88-year-old pontiff is gradually making more public appearances as he recovers
  • “Thank you for your service in hospital,” the pope said

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Wednesday thanked members of the medical team who saved his life during a five-week hospital stay for a serious case of double pneumonia, speaking softly but breathing without oxygen at the meeting in the Vatican.
The 88-year-old pontiff is gradually making more public appearances as he recovers from the biggest health crisis in his 12 years in the role. On Wednesday morning, he met with about 70 doctors and staffers from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was treated for 38 days.
“Thank you for your service in hospital,” the pope said in a soft, raspy voice. “It is very good. Keep going like this.”
As during his last public appearance, on Sunday, the pope did not use oxygen.
The pope’s medical team have urged him to take two months’ rest after leaving hospital to allow his body to fully heal. Francis initially remained out of view after returning home but has now made several brief public appearances.
The Vatican on Thursday will start its busiest holiday season, with at least six religious celebrations in four days, including Easter, the most important Christian holiday, on Sunday.
It is still not known how much the pope will participate in the events. The Vatican has delegated senior cardinals to lead each of the celebrations in the pope’s place.


Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 9

Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 9
Updated 58 min 57 sec ago

Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 9

Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 9
  • Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will be on site later Wednesday morning to begin the process of finding out what went wrong
  • Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said nine dead people had been found at the scene of the crash

KENTUCKY, USA: The death toll from the crash of a UPS cargo plane that erupted into a fireball moments after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday has risen to nine, city and state officials said Wednesday.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will be on site later Wednesday morning to begin the process of finding out what went wrong when the 34-year-old MD-11 cargo plane caught fire around 5:13 p.m. ET Tuesday and then crashed.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said nine dead people had been found at the scene of the crash. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on social media it was possible there would be more fatalities. The plane had a crew of three according to UPS and officials said none of the crew survived.


Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash, with thick, black smoke seen rising into the evening sky.
Officials said 11 victims had been taken to hospitals on Tuesday.
A government official told Reuters at least 10 others remain unaccounted for. Beshear told CNN that two people remain in critical condition and added it could have been much worse.
“This plane barely missed a restaurant bar. It was very close to a very large Ford plant with hundreds, if not a thousand plus workers,” Beshear said. ” It was very close to our convention center that’s having a big livestock show that people were arriving for.” The international airport in Louisville reopened to air traffic early on Wednesday, though the runway where the accident happened is expected to remain closed for another 10 days, officials said.
UPS said Wednesday it canceled a parcel sorting shift that usually begins in the midmorning at its facility at the airport after it had halted package sorting operations Tuesday.
US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said on Wednesday he has not seen any evidence of a link between the accident and a 36-day US government shutdown that has strained air traffic control.
NTSB investigators will be looking to retrieve the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder that will shed light on the crash.
Brickhouse said investigators are expected to focus on the number one engine which was seen on video to be ignited, and appeared to have separated from the aircraft. “It is designed to fly if you lose one engine, but we need to see the effect of losing that engine on the rest of the aircraft,” Brickhouse said.
The triple-engine plane was fueled for an 8-1/2 hour flight to Honolulu.
It was the first UPS cargo plane to crash since August 2013, when an Airbus aircraft went down on a landing approach to the international airport in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both crew.