In a letter to Italy’s top newspaper on Tuesday, Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a month due to illness, called for an end to war and asked the media to “serve the truth”.
The eighty-eight-year-old Catholic leader emphasized the necessity of ethical journalism during times of conflict, saying that the media had a responsibility to “feel the full impact of words” and to maintain composure.
“They are facts that create human surroundings; they are never just words. In a letter dated March 14, Francis wrote to the Corriere della Sera, “They can unite or separate, serve or utilize the truth.”
“We need to disarm the Earth, disarm minds, and disarm language. There is a strong demand for introspection, serenity, and complexity.
“Diplomacy and international organizations require new vitality and legitimacy, while war just destroys communities and the environment, without delivering solutions to conflicts,” he said.
The letter was sent in response to a note delivered to the pope, who has been in the Gemelli hospital in Rome since February 14, by Luciano Fontana, the director of Corriere.
“In this moment of illness… violence becomes even more ludicrous,” said Francis, who frequently urges an end to hostilities worldwide.
He remarked, “Human fragility, in reality, has the power to make us more aware about what makes us live and what kills, what lasts and what passes.”
The Argentine pope stated that peace “needs dedication, work, silence, and words.”
Following a crucial period during which breathing crises prompted concerns for Francis’s life, doctors have reported that his condition is now stable. However, the Vatican has not stated when he would be released from the hospital.
The Vatican announced on Monday night that he was now breathing independently for brief periods of time.
Francis has been using a cannula, a plastic tube that is inserted into his nostrils and provides high-flow oxygen, during the day and an oxygen mask at night for at least two weeks.
For the first time during the day, he is now switching to a lower flow, it stated.
Francis has alternated between rest and prayer and working when he is able at the hospital.
Notwithstanding his advancements, there is still conjecture that, like his predecessor Benedict XVI, he may finally resign because of his vulnerability.
During a visit last week, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin informed reporters on Monday that Francis’ health had improved.
However, when asked if the topic of the pope’s resignation had come up, he said, “No, no, no, certainly not.”
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