Pope resumes appointments after illness; meets American director Martin Scorsese
- The Vatican has confirmed that the pope will preside over Pentecost Mass on Sunday, and will meet Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, on Monday
- According to Vatican News, a number of poets, writers and film directors from around the world attended a conference with a Jesuit-run journal
Pope Francis resumed regular appointments on Saturday, one day after cancelling his schedule due to a fever.
The pontiff held a number of private meetings, including with visitors from Georgetown University who were in town for a conference with a Jesuit-run journal.
According to Vatican News, a number of poets, writers and film directors from around the world attended the conference, including director Martin Scorsese and his family. Francis later was captured on video arriving at the studios of the state broadcaster RAI to tape an interview, smiling animatedly at well-wishers outside.
The Vatican’s confirmation of the 86-year-old pope’s fever sparked concerns about Francis’ health. The last time he spiked a serious fever, in March, the 86-year-old pontiff was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. He received intravenous antibiotics and was released three days later.
The Vatican has confirmed that the pope will preside over Pentecost Mass on Sunday, and will meet Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, on Monday.
Also on Saturday, Pope Francis accepted Strasbourg Archbishop Luc Ravel’s request to resign following accusations of misconduct in office, the French Bishops’ Conference said without providing further reasons.
Ravel’s resignation comes after a papal investigation into the archbishopric in Alsace last summer.
Ravel was accused of frequently being absent from Strasbourg as well as authoritarian conduct in office, according to Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace newspaper.
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Catholics in the diocese called on Ravel to resign in an online petition.
He took office in Alsace in 2017.
Archbishop Ravel had taken a clear position on the issue of abuse in the church, even before the bishop’s conference in France took a stand on the issue.
He caused a stir when he dismissed the finance director of the diocese and an auxiliary bishop within the space of little over a year.
