Pope, Trump Wish Peres Well, as Spokesman Says Former Israeli President’s Condition ‘Serious But Stable’
by JNS.org
JNS.org — Pope Francis and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump expressed their best wishes for the recovery of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, who suffered a major stroke on Tuesday and remains sedated in an Israeli hospital.
In a letter sent to Peres on Thursday, Pope Francis said he “prayed for strength for the family and for a full recovery,” and that he had held a special interfaith prayer for the leader with Rabbi Abraham Skorka of Argentina.
The pontiff met Peres, together with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, at the Vatican in 2014.
Donald Trump also wished Peres a “swift recovery,” writing that Peres is “among the last of a generation of leaders who fought for the right of the Jewish people to shape their own destiny.”
According to a Peres spokesperson, the 93-year-old Israeli statesman and Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s condition remains unchanged.
“His condition is obviously still serious but at the moment he is stable,” the spokesman said, AFP reported.
Since Peres fell ill, world leaders have expressed their wishes for his recovery, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who also praised him for “seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”