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 said, announcing the precautions ahead of a busy Christmas period and launch of the Holy Year that will sorely test Francis' stamina and health.

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 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.

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.

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,