Pope Francis Undergoes His Last Day By Working Even Though Doctor Orders Him To Rest

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Zebra48bo)

JAKARTA - The late leader of the World Catholic Church Pope Francis underwent his final day of work, even though doctors ordered him to rest after being discharged from hospital, meeting with foreign leaders to ordering peace in the Gaza Strip.

After spending more than five weeks in hospital due to double pneumonia, doctors told Pope Francis he needed two months of rest.

However, the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics in the world continued to work until the end. On Easter Sunday, the day before his death at the age of 88, Pope Francis made his first public appearance since February, entering St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in a white papal car.

In his last public appearance, on Sunday, he only said a few broken words, congratulating Easter in a hoarse voice to about 35,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square, quoted by Reuters on April 22.

As he toured the square in a Pope's car on Sunday, people lined up in the alley to approach him, many waving the national flag and chanting "viva il Papa!" (the Pope's life!).

In the Easter message read by an aide, Pope Francis repeated his call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "sad".

The Pope also called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to release the remaining hostages, condemning what he called an "worrying" antisemitism trend in the world.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, of the Gaza parish the Pope often visited during the Israeli-Hamas war, told Vatican News: "The Pope called us for the last time on Saturday night, shortly before Easter Eve Mass began, while we were praying Rosario. He told us he prayed for us, he blessed us, and he thanked us for our prayers for him."

For someone who is recovering from a prolonged illness, Pope Francis is working hard.

Since returning from hospital, Pope Francis has received 24-hour treatment from a nurse, the Vatican said earlier.

The whale receives oxygen through a small tube under its nose throughout the night and during the day as needed.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official close to Francis, said he said Pope Francis did not force himself irresponsiblely and needed to move.

"The total rest is not a cure," said Czerny.

"He balances the recovery period with his position as Bishop of Rome," he continued.

Czerny said the Pope devoted himself to his work of leading Catholics around the world.

Quoting instructions Fransiskus often gave Catholic bishops to ensure they were close to his people, Czerny said: "He died of the smell of sheep on his body."

Also on Sunday, Pope Francis accepted foreign leaders at his residence for a brief meeting, namely with US Vice President JD Vance and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"I'm happy to see him yesterday, although he is clearly sick," wrote Vice President Vance on X.

"May God rest his soul," he continued.

Meanwhile, PM Plenkovic, who was accompanied by his family when he met the Pope, wrote in a statement Monday, "It was a short moment, but very touching, a meeting full of kindness, smiles and blessings."

Meanwhile, Austen Ivereigh, author of the biography Pope Francis, who also wrote a book with the Pope in 2020, said the Pope "filled with his doctor's advice but his top priority was his mission to attend."

Fransiskus, said Ivereigh, is an "expert in managing time."

"He ensures we have a Pope for Easter and continues to carry out his mission to arrive until the end," he said.

It is known, the Vatican on Monday night announced Pope Francis for a stroke and then suffered an irreversible cardiovascular attack.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who announced the death on the Vatican TV channel on Monday morning, said Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. local time.

Italian Family Affairs Minister Eugenia Roccella said Pope Francis had given everything until the end.

The Pope, he said in a statement, "choose not to care for himself, convey in his suffering, his physical closeness, a message of his entire papalty."