ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Sunday released the first photograph of Pope Francis in more than a month, showing the pontiff in a three-quarter view from behind wearing a purple stole typical of Lenten liturgical vestments and sitting in a wheelchair before the altar of his personal hospital chapel.
The Vatican said he was participating in the celebration of the Mass with other priests in the 10th-floor papal apartment in the Gemelli hospital. No one else is visible in the photo and it is the first mention the Vatican has made of the pope’s participation in celebrating Mass since his Feb. 14 hospitalization for a bout with chronic bronchitis that quickly turned into double pneumonia.
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In this picture released by the Vatican Press Hall Pope Francis celebrates a mass inside the chapel of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Vatican Press Hall, Via AP )
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Balloons with the colours of the Vatican flag are reflected on the windows of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic as faithful pray for Pope Francis in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A balloon released by faithful flies near windows of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic as people gather to pray for Pope Francis in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, during a vigil rosary for the recovery of Pope Francis, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Rosaries are seen next to a drawing of Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Samantha Brasini, of Italy, kneels in front of the statue of Pope John Paul II as she prays for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Saturday, March 15, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
There was no obvious sign that he was receiving supplemental oxygen mentioned in medical bulletins.
Doctors this week said the pontiff was no longer in critical, life-threatening condition, but they have continued to emphasize that his condition remained complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man. In an audio recording released March 6, the pope spoke in a feeble and labored voice as he thanked the faithful in St. Peter’s Square for their prayers.
His condition has been gradually improving over the last week, leading the Vatican to suspend morning updates and to issue less frequent medical bulletins. An X-ray this week confirmed that the infection was clearing.
In the most recent bulletin on Saturday, doctors said they were working to reduce the pope’s reliance on a non-invasive ventilation mask at night, which will allow his lungs to work more. He was continuing to receive high-flow supplemental oxygen, delivered by a nasal tube, during the day — although no such apparatus was evident in the photograph.
Earlier Sunday, dozens of children — many from war-torn countries, and toting yellow and white balloons — gathered outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital to greet Francis on his fifth Sunday hospitalized. While the pope did not appear from the 10th-floor suite of windows, he thanked them and acknowledged their presence in the traditional Sunday blessing.
“I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to Gemelli as a sign of closeness,’’ the pontiff said in the Angelus text prepared for the traditional prayer but not delivered live again. “Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you,’’ Francis said.
The Rev. Enzo Fortunato, president of the pontifical committee for World Children's Day who organized the event, said that the gathering of children with their parents was a form of spiritual medicine for the 88-year-old pontiff. He called it "the most beautiful caress.’’
“The children represent a symbolic medicine for Pope Francis,’’ Fortunato said. "Letting him know that so many children are here for him cheers the heart.’’
A small group of children, whose balloons represented the colors of the Vatican flag, briefly entered the hospital to leave behind their drawings, messages and flowers for Francis. Many of the children came from poorer Italian districts or from countries impacted by war, some having arrived in Italy from Afghanistan and Syria via humanitarian corridors set up by the Sant’Egidio charity in agreement with the Italian government; others were from Ukraine, Gaza, South America and Africa.
One of them was 12-year-old Anastasia, who got up at 5 a.m. to make the trip from Naples with the hopes of delivering the message directly to the pope. “I wrote, ‘Pope Francis, get well and return home soon,’” she said. "We love you, all of the children are praying for you.’'
Andrea Iacomini, the spokesman for UNICEF in Italy, said besides demonstrating affection for the pope, the group also wanted to say "enough'' to conflicts that are impacting 500 million children in 59 countries.
"This pope is not just a religious leader, he is a great global leader. A man of peace. This pope is pope of the children.'' Iacomini said.
Francis typically delivers the Angelus from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to the gathered faithful, who have grown more numerous due to the Jubilee year that Francis inaugurated in December.
In the written text, Francis said he was thinking of others, who like him, are in a fragile state. “Our bodies are weak, but even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope,’’ the pope said.
Along with a stop at St. Peter’s to seek indulgences by walking through the basilica’s Holy Door, pilgrims are now also adding a stop at Gemelli, a 15-minute train ride from the Vatican.
Francis has not been seen publicly since he was admitted to the hospital after a bout of bronchitis that made it difficult for him to speak. Doctors soon added a diagnosis of double pneumonia and a polymicrobial (bacterial, viral and fungal) infection.
The first three weeks of his hospitalization were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit. Over the the last week, his condition has stablized.
The next medical update won’t be issued until mid-week, the Vatican said.
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Associated Press video journalist Francesca Primavilla contributed to this report.
In this picture released by the Vatican Press Hall Pope Francis celebrates a mass inside the chapel of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Vatican Press Hall, Via AP )
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Balloons with the colours of the Vatican flag are reflected on the windows of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic as faithful pray for Pope Francis in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A balloon released by faithful flies near windows of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic as people gather to pray for Pope Francis in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful pray in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, during a vigil rosary for the recovery of Pope Francis, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Rosaries are seen next to a drawing of Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Samantha Brasini, of Italy, kneels in front of the statue of Pope John Paul II as she prays for Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Saturday, March 15, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia on Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155 in a chaotic escape during a live concert. The tragedy focused national attention on corruption in the small Balkan country as authorities detained 15 people.
The death toll may rise further, with 20 of the injured remain in critical condition, according to Health Minister Arben Taravari. The government has declared seven days of national mourning.
The pre-dawn blaze in the eastern town of Kocani left mostly young people dead and injured due to burns, smoke inhalation and a stampede in the desperate effort to reach the building's single exit, officials said. People as young as 16 were among the casualties, they said.
Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the ceiling followed by scenes of chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged them to escape as quickly as possible.
“We even tried to get out through the bathroom, only to find bars (on the windows),” Marija Taseva, 19, told The Associated Press, describing the fire that erupted after watching a local pop group at Club Pulse. "I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me. ... I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.” She suffered an injury to her face.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said 15 people were detained for questioning after a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.
“We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case,” he told reporters without elaborating.
The fire is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million, and the latest in a slew of deadly nightclub fires around the world.
Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a month for double pneumonia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sent messages of support. “I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.
Health Ministry officials said the government had accepted offers of assistance from several neighboring countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, where preparations were being made to receive patients with life-threatening injuries.
In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, three people with severe burns aged 25, 25 and 19 were being treated at a civilian hospital, with one undergoing surgery, health authorities said. Their conditions are critical.
Throughout Sunday, relatives gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, begging authorities for more information. Resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.
“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. ... 150 families have been devastated," he said. “Children burnt beyond recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club). ... And the bosses (of organized crime), just putting money into their pockets.”
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside.
“It's terrible ... hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said late Sunday it had been “the most difficult day of my life,” adding that the country must defeat corruption.
“I entered politics to change something. I encountered a deeply corrupt system that has been created and nurtured for decades, which includes people from all parties, from all profiles. If that system does not collapse, this country will never exist,” he said in a statement.
North Macedonia’s government ordered a sweeping inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets across the country over the next three days.
Pyrotechnics have often been the cause of deadly fires in nightclubs, including the one at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, in 2015 in which 64 people died.
Associated Press writers from across Europe contributed to this report.
Women cry outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Relatives and survivors walk outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
An aerial photograph shows the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Women cry and hug outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
An aerial photograph shows the damaged roof of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An aerial photograph shows the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An injured man exits a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A woman cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People wait outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman waits outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Women cry outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman is comforted outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An injured man exits a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People hug outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Relatives and survivors walk outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
An aerial photograph shows the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Maria Taseva, a 19 years-old survivor, who said her sister died in the fire, sits outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Women cry and hug outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A man cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A police officer inspects a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Police officers hold plastic bags on the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Prosecutors arrive at the scene of a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A person makes a telephone call in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Macedonian Interior Minister Pance Toskovski speaks to media after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)
Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)
