Pope Francis, who has just turned 88 and has been suffering from a heavy cold, will lead the regular Sunday Angelus prayer from inside his residence as a precaution, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday.

Pope Francis is suffering from a cold and will deliver his Sunday blessing from indoors. The Vatican cited the cold temperatures outside and

Pope Francis is suffering from a cold and will give the Sunday blessing ahead of a busy week that includes Christmas Eve and Day Masses and the start of the Holy Year.

Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Pope Francis doubled down Sunday on his condemnation of Israel's strikes on the Gaza Strip, denouncing their "cruelty" for the second time in as many days despite Israel accusing him of "double standards".

Israel allows clerics to enter Gaza and 'works in cooperation with the Christian community to make it easier for the Christian population that remains in the Gaza Strip – including coordinating its removal from the Gaza Strip to a third country,