Pope Francis makes first appearance since getting bronchitis

ROME — Pope Francis on Friday made his first public appearance outdoors since being stricken by bronchitis two weeks ago, which forced him to cancel a planned trip to the COP-28 climate conference in Dubai. The pope has been steadily recovering, and for the Dec. 8 holiday devoted to Mary kept a traditional appointment to pray at the Spanish Steps. He arrived in a black car, and blessed a crowd of onlookers before taking a seat in a chair facing a statue of the Madonna. The pontiff prayed for Mary’s mercy for “all the people oppressed by injustice and poverty, tried by war,” adding a special prayer for “the tormented Ukrainian people,” as well as Palestinians and Israelis “who have…