Pope Francis acknowledged on Sunday being fragile and “facing a period of trial”, as he thanked well-wishers for prayers in a message from hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pope, hospitalised since February 14, sent a particularly personal message to the faithful published by the Vatican, as he once again missed delivering the traditional Angelus prayer in person.

“I am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me,” wrote the pope.

“Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope,” he added.

Sunday was the fifth time the pope’s condition had prevented him from personally giving the Angelus prayer, which he usually delivers to the crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square following mass.

Last week the Vatican signalled the Argentine pontiff was out of danger after a series of breathing crises earlier in his hospitalisation had sparked fears for his life.

On Saturday, the Vatican said Francis’s condition continued to be stable and showing progress, as it has for the past week, but cautioned he still needed therapies to be administered within the hospital.

“The Holy Father still requires hospital medical therapy, motor and respiratory physiotherapy; these therapies, at present, are showing further, gradual improvements,” it said.

That message appeared to quash speculation that the pope’s progress could signal an imminent release from hospital.

In his Sunday message — which also called for peace in war-torn countries — Francis once again thanked his caretakers and those who have been praying for him.

“How much light shines, in this sense, in hospitals and places of care! How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!” he said.

Francis is being cared for on the 10th floor of the hospital, home to a special papal suite including a chapel.

At the entrance of the hospital Sunday morning, dozens of children from a Catholic scout group called out “Pope Francis, Pope Francis”, as they held yellow and white balloons.

“I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to ‘Gemelli’ as a sign of closeness,” Francis wrote in his message.


“Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you.”

AFP

The Trump administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of 41 countries as part of a new ban.

Reuters quoting sources and an internal memo on Saturday, said a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups are on the list.

The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.

In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

In the third group, a total of 26 countries including Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”, the memo said.

A U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity cautioned there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The move harkens back to President Donald Trump’s first-term ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.

He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”

Ukraine has dismissed claims that its troops are trapped in Kursk Oblast amid Russia’s ongoing offensive in the region.


Kyiv’s response followed President Donald Trump’s statement that he had urged President Vladimir Putin to “spare” encircled Ukrainian troops during their discussions.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military and in a very bad and vulnerable position.”


Also on Friday, at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, Putin stated that some Ukrainian troops “are blocked” in the embattled Kursk Oblast.

However, Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of claiming the encirclement of rival forces “for political purposes and to put pressure on Ukraine and its partners.”

In an update, the General Staff confirmed that Ukrainian units had regrouped, moved to more favourable defensive positions, and were completing their assigned tasks in Kursk Oblast.


“There is no threat of encirclement of our units,” the statement read. “Our soldiers are repelling the enemy’s offensive and inflicting effective fire damage using all types of weapons.