Pope Francis makes brief appearance at Vatican, calls for Gaza truce

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in an Easter message read by his aide, as the pontiff, who is recovering from severe pneumonia in both lungs, briefly watched the event from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who has scaled back his activities on the advice of doctors, did not lead the Easter Mass at the Vatican, but appeared at the end of the event to give a blessing and deliver the traditional "To the City and the World" (Urbi et Orbi) message.

Before spending five weeks in hospital with pneumonia that nearly cost him his life, Pope Francis had been increasingly critical of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory "very serious and shameful" back in January.

In his Easter message, the pope described the situation in the Gaza Strip as "dramatic and deplorable." He also called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to release the remaining hostages and condemned what he called the "worrying" rise in anti-Semitism around the world.

"I express my closeness to the suffering... of the entire Israeli people and the Palestinian people," the message said.

"I appeal to the parties to the conflict: declare a ceasefire, free the hostages and come to the aid of a people who are starving and who yearn for a peaceful future," the message said.