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 will lead the Angelus prayer, traditionally spoken by the pontiff on Sundays, from the chapel of his home in the Vatican as he is struggling with a cold, the Holy See has said. Due to "severe cold and the cold symptoms that have been occurring in recent days,

Pope Francis reflected on the devastating consequences of the Gaza war in an address at the Vatican on Saturday, expressing deep sorrow over the bombing of children in the Gaza Strip the previous day.

JERUSALEM - Israel accused Pope Francis of “double standards” on Dec 21 after he condemned the bombing of children in Gaza as “cruelty” following an air strike that killed seven children from one family.

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.