Hospitalised Pope Francis still makes nightly call to Gaza

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has been admitted in hospital for bronchitis which turned into pneumonia in both his lungs. However, despite being quite unwell, the 88-year-old Pontiff is still making his nightly call to Gaza from his hospital bed. 

Sometimes the Pope uses a video call and sometimes a text message to stay in touch with a small Catholic parish in the Gaza strip. Reverend Gabriel Romanelli, the priest of the church in Gaza, has confirmed to Vatican News that the Pope calls every night at 8 pm Palestine time, maintaining the almost daily contact he begun when Israel started its onslaught on the Gaza strip. 

"Although we had a blackout in the whole area of Gaza City, he insisted and managed to contact us with a video call," the Reverend told the Vatican media outlet, adding that the Pope inquires about the parishioners and gives blessings. 

A video of the Pope saying "Asalam o Alaikum" to Muslims present at the church went viral a few weeks ago. Francis, the first Jesuit head of the Roman Catholic Church, has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war on Gaza, going so far as to suggest that the occupying country must be investigated for war crimes. 

He has also called Israel's actions in the besieged strip "terrorism", pleading for an end to the genocide multiple times. 

The vocal opposition warned him the wrath of powerful Zionists, including the entire Israeli government, however, the Pope has not budged from his point of view. 

Concerns for the Pope's health peaked day before yesterday when his doctors said that his medical situation is "complex". The next day, the Vatican said that though the Pope remains stable, slight improvement in his blood work shows that inflammation in his body is going down. As of Thursday, the Pope is said to have gotten out of his hospital bed to sit in an armchair for breakfast while his fever has also dissipated. 

The pneumonia still afflicts him, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni confirmed on Thursday, but it is now limited to certain spots in the lungs instead of being spread throughout.