- Pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required ongoing treatment
Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia in the hospital for nearly three weeks, remained stable on Thursday without any new respiratory crises, the Vatican said.
In a sign of progress for the 88-year-old pontiff, his doctors announced they would not issue another medical bulletin until Saturday, citing the “stability of the clinical picture.”
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required ongoing treatment.
The latest medical update stated that the pope had no fever, his blood tests remained stable, and he had been able to work between treatments and rest. While his condition remains “guarded,” recent updates have been more optimistic, following two episodes of “acute respiratory insufficiency” on Monday that required non-invasive mechanical ventilation.
The Vatican confirmed that Francis is now only using ventilation at night, while receiving oxygen through a nasal tube during the day. He has also continued with physical therapy to aid his mobility, which has been affected by knee and back pain.
Meanwhile, the voice of Pope Francis has been heard for the first time since he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in an audio message thanking believers for their prayers for his recovery.
The Pope’s message was played aloud in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday just before 9 p.m., local time in Rome, March 6. It is the first time his voice has been heard publicly in three weeks.
In his audio recording, the Pope, speaking in Spanish with a laboured and breathless voice, said: “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
The Pope’s message was played just before the nightly rosary that has been occurring during his hospitalisation. Tonight’s rosary that followed the audio message was led by Spanish Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, a second-in-command position serving under the Vatican’s first woman dicastery prefect, Italian Sister Simona Brambilla.
The recording marked the first time the world has heard his voice as he continues to battle double pneumonia. No pictures of the Pope since he was hospitalised have yet been released.
