"I am doing fine, recovering very quickly ... there is no need to be worried or concerned," Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel said in an audio message posted on social media.
In previous years, Francis would start it prostrating himself on the marble floor of the basilica, but his physical condition no longer allows him to do so.
The letter was delivered the day after the United States did not veto a UN vote calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan. The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor.
Highlighting the impact of the conflict, it noted that "Since [Hamas's October 7 attack], more than 30,000 have been killed by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the majority of them women and children."
Cohen tapped into the audience's biblical sentiments by emphasizing Israel's centuries-old struggle for its land, which was bestowed by God on the Jewish people more than 4,000 years ago.