Pope's willingness to show his frailty provides an example to young and old alike in aging world

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ frailty was on full view as he left Rome’s Gemelli hospital last Sunday after five weeks battling pneumonia that nearly killed him. He could barely lift his arms to bless the crowd. His eyes were sunken, face bloated. And he visibly gasped for breath as he was wheeled back inside from the balcony.

Throughout history, the powerful have concealed their weaknesses. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the most photographed figure of his era, took pains to hide his lame arm. Franklin Delano Roosevelt concealed the use of a wheelchair. More recently, former U.S. President Joe Biden shook off concerns about his cognitive abilities.

By contrast, Francis, a spiritual and not political leader, has never been shy about showing weakness. For many, his willingness to be seen in all his infirmity serves as an example to young and old alike that fragility is part of the human condition — and should be embraced.

“Who cares if he had sunken eyes, who cares if he looks bloated? It is part of his life story. He knows it is going to end. I saw him as living his life. He wants to keep doing what he does best,’’ said S. Jay Olshansky, a gerontologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The 88-year-old pope, who wielded power from his hospital suite, is representative of "a dramatic shift in the number of people making it to extreme old age, and a lot of people can continue to function at an extremely high level,'' Olshansky said, citing ‘’crystalized intelligence,'' the accumulation of knowledge and experience that allows better decision-making.

For Catholics, Francis’ frailty is integral to his ministry of inclusion, which preaches against treating people on the margins as disposable, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for Life.

“Fragility for us believers is not to be avoided or excluded. On the contrary it is a great teaching,’’ Paglia said in an interview. “It is in sharp contrast with an efficiency-oriented culture, with a performance culture.''

In his traditional Angelus on Sunday, the pontiff urged the faithful to experience the Lenten period leading up to Easter “as a period of healing.”

"I too am experiencing it this way, in my soul and in my body,'' Francis said in written text, the seventh straight Sunday that his illness has prevented him from delivering the blessing from a window over St. Peter's Square as usual.

He also offered prayers for global trouble spots, including Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, stricken by war, and for the earthquake victims in Myanmar — part of the pope's regular rhythm running the 1.3.-billion strong Catholic Church.

The church "is not a state, or a company, it is a community of the faithful, a family. And in a family it is possible to give an authoritative leadership, also if not up to full physical strength,'' Paglia said. He added that it was an important lesson also for young people “who should understand that they too are fragile, otherwise they close themselves off.’’

Paglia this week opened a longevity summit at the Vatican, during which he underlined that as the population of elderly grows, there must be an attitude shift so that the longer life span is lived to its fullest.

“We need to rethink the idea of retirement. These 20, 30 years more must have also a cultural, human and spiritual weight for all the other age groups. They are not disposable,’’ he said.

Dr. Francesco Vaia, an advocate of rights for the disabled, also said the pope’s message is especially crucial in an aging world.

“The theme is not only to get older, but to be active, that is to give more quality to our longer lives,’’ he said. “We are moving towards an inclusive society,’’ which is in contrast with a "throw-away world in which the weak, the disabled, the elderly are pushed aside.''

“Let’s overcome the superman and superwoman theory. We are men and women with our fragility, and disabilities,’’ Vaia said, adding: "This pope can continue being pope.

Even images of Francis with the nasal breathing tubes as he was driven to the Vatican normalizes a fact of life for many elderly who live with oxygen tanks. “We should not be ashamed of this,’’ Vaia said.

Pope John Paul II, too, was often praised for showing his suffering during his long bout with Parkinson’s disease. But the Vatican also went to great lengths to conceal his frailty. He was never seen in a wheelchair, for example, instead he was pushed on a rolling wooden chair or upon a moving platform.

Francis by contrast arrives at events in wheelchairs, and is seen lifted into a more formal seat for Masses or to address the faithful.

The pontiff also did not shy away from showing his weakened state from the hospital. An audio recording of his barely audible, labored voice was played in St. Peter’s Square three weeks into his hospitalization as a first sign of life. It was followed by a photograph of him co-celebrating Mass, taken from behind in his personal hospital chapel — with the crucifix and altar the focal points.

While Francis’ appearance on the hospital balcony did not necessarily project vitality, the doctor who coordinated his hospital treatment saw it as a sign of his strength.

“You saw when he looked out, he is fragile. But his strength is that he could give, even with some difficulty, the blessing,’’ Dr. Sergio Alfieri said. “He looked at the square, and he welcomed the woman with the yellow flowers, as if to say, ‘I am maintaining a good mood.’ He is strong in this sense, a strong spirit."

A woman takes pictures in front of Apostolic place where the Pope delivers the Angelus noon prayer from his studio's window in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Nuns take pictures at a partially empty St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pilgrims walk with a cross towards the Holy Door in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis waves as he appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he has been treated for bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Pope Francis leaves in a car the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he was admitted on Feb. 14 for bilateral pneumonia. (AP Photo/Marco Ravagli, File)

Pope Francis appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he has been treated for bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)

Pope Francis appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he has been treated for bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, is interviewed by the Associated Press, in Rome, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, is interviewed by The Associated Press, in Rome, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, is interviewed by The Associated Press, in Rome, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, is interviewed by The Associated Press, in Rome, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - Pope John Paul II blesses the crowd at the end of the midnight Christmas mass in St. Peter's Basilica Saturday, Dec. 25 2004. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri, File)

FILE - Pope John Paul II, flanked by unknown officials, arrives in Tarbes, southwestern France, Saturday, Aug.14, 2004. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

FILE Pope John Paul II is pushed on his chair while passing priests and bishops during a procession in Lourdes, southwestern France, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2004. (AP Photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Pool, File)

In the past week, many Americans remained focused on the economy, inflation and how those forces could impact their lives. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.

Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you.

America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war.

Hiring was better than the 65,000 forecasters had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Healthcare added 37,000 jobs last month and retailers 22,000. However, manufacturers cut 2,000 jobs in April and have shed 66,000 jobs over the past year despite President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies aimed at creating factory jobs.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week, reflecting ongoing bond market volatility as surging oil prices due to the war with Iran heighten inflation worries.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.37% from 6.3% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76%.

This is the second straight weekly increase, bringing the average rate back to where it was four weeks ago.

Weekly U.S. jobless claim applications rose last week but remain at historically low levels despite elevated inflation and other economic headwinds.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending May 2 rose by 10,000 to 200,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 205,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

The previous week’s new claims figure, which was the fewest since 1969, was revised up by 1,000 to 190,000.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

U.S. job openings were essentially unchanged in March but hiring improved before the full impact of the Iran war hit the economy.

Employers posted 6.87 million jobs in March, compared to 6.92 million in February, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

The job market has been up and down so far this year after a dismal 2025. And the Iran war, which began Feb. 28, has clouded the outlook for the economy and hiring.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs rose in March. But hiring improved: Employers added 5.55 million gross jobs, the most since February 2024. More Americans also quit their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects.

U.S. stocks rose toward new highs to end the week on promising news in the labor market and also more strong earnings for major U.S. corporations.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% toward an all-time high after a report said U.S. employers added 115,000 more jobs than they cut last month, even though the war with Iran is raising fuel costs and uncertainty for everyone.

While hiring slowed from March’s level, it was nevertheless nearly double what economists expected. And it kept the S&P 500 on track for a sixth straight winning week, which would be its longest such streak since 2024. The U.S. stock market has blasted higher since late March, in part on hopes that the war will not mean a worst-case scenario for the global economy and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to allow oil tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again.

Trader Edward McCarthy, left, and Michael Milano work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

FILE - The per-gallon price is displayed elecronically over the grades of gasoline available at a Buc-ee's convenience stop Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Johnstown, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

FILE - Hiring sign for sales professionals is displayed at a store, in Vernon Hills, Ill., Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)