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Pope Francis is exhibiting “marked improvement” after being admitted to the hospital on Wednesday with difficulty breathing, which was later diagnosed as bronchitis. On Friday, the Vatican said that Pope Francis may be discharged from the hospital on Saturday after responding well to treatments yesterday and sharing a pizza dinner with those assisting him. “Pope Francis spent the afternoon at [Gemelli Hospital] devoting himself to rest, prayer, and some work duties,” Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni told reporters Thursday evening. “As part of scheduled clinical checks, the Holy Father was found to have a bronchitis infection that required the administration of antibiotic therapy through infusion, which produced the expected effects with a marked improvement in his state of health. Based on the expected course, the Holy Father could be discharged in the coming days.” This update comes after Bruni said mid-Thursday that the pope “rested well overnight” and that “the clinical picture is progressively improving.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253988/pope-francis-has-bronchitis-but-is-resting-and-improving-vatican-says
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253992/vatican-pope-francis-had-pizza-dinner-may-leave-hospital-tomorrow
The US and Canadian bishops released statements Thursday praising the Vatican’s repudiation of the “doctrine of discovery,” which has been used in the past to justify European colonialism in the Americas and throughout the world. The doctrine of discovery is a philosophical, political, and legal theory that posits that European colonizers have the right to expropriate indigenous lands and property. The theory has been said to have its origin in certain 15th-century papal bulls including Dum Diversas, Romanus Pontifex, and Inter Caetera, and has been invoked by many, including the US Supreme Court in the 1823 case Johnson v McIntosh. On Thursday, a joint statement of the Vatican’s Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development formally denounced the doctrine of discovery, saying it “is not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church” and that the Church “repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of indigenous peoples.” Both the US and Canadian bishops echoed the Vatican’s sentiment expressed in the joint dicastery statement, saying though the Church has defended the rights of the weak and poor throughout history, “many Christians have committed evil acts against Indigenous peoples for which recent popes have asked forgiveness on numerous occasions.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253987/us-and-canadian-bishops-join-vatican-s-condemnation-of-colonialist-doctrine-of-discovery
An empty tabernacle that was bolted to the wall has been stolen from the residence of the late Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who was murdered in his Hacienda Heights, California, home in February.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253985/tabernacle-stolen-from-murdered-bishop-david-o-connell-s-residence
Today the Church celebrates Blessed Jane of Toulouse, a 13th-century French woman known for her chastity and service to the poor, and who is considered to be the first member of the Carmelites’ third order, which is open to laypeople.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/bl-jane-of-toulouse-193