Pope hails health care workers as heroes for COVID service

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has hailed health care workers as heroes for their service every day, not just during the pandemic.  The pontiff clapped his hands and invited the public in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to do the same in a a sign of “a great thank you” for doctors, nurses and volunteers who care for the sick. Italy was marking Sunday as a national day to pay tribute to health care workers. The national professional association of doctors counts 370 physicians who died of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The pope said the coronavirus pandemic has made plain the “heroism” that characterizes health care personnel all the time.