 "A woman holds rosary beads as she prays for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where the Pontiff has been hospitalised since Feb.14, in Rome. AP")
The Vatican reported that Pope Francis was in stable condition and did not require mechanical ventilation on Sunday, indicating that he had recovered from the potential complications of a respiratory crisis on Friday and that his overall breathing function was improving as he recovers from double pneumonia.
The 88-year-old pope continued to receive high flow supplemental oxygen following his coughing episode on Friday, which raised concerns about a new lung infection. In their late Sunday update, doctors noted that Francis was still in stable condition, but they also referred to the complexity of his overall condition and kept his prognosis at guarded, meaning he was still in danger.
After receiving a visit in the morning from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, his chief of staff, Francis, who has been in the hospital since February 14, relaxed, prayed in his private chapel, and attended Mass for the remainder of the day. Francis meets with them at least once a week, even while he is at the Vatican, but it is unknown what they discussed.
In order to prevent even a brief public appearance from the hospital, he once more skipped his weekly midday benediction. Rather, the pope praised his physicians for their care and well-wishers for their prayers in a note he wrote from Gemelli hospital, which was issued by the Vatican. He also prayed for peace in Ukraine and abroad.
“From here, war appears even more absurd,” Francis said in the message, which he drafted in recent days. Francis said he was living his hospitalization as an experience of profound solidarity with people who are sick and suffering everywhere.
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View All“I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord,” Francis said in the text. “At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.”
Signs point to a recovery
Many signs indicated he was improving, especially after a respiratory crisis on Friday afternoon that resulted in him inhaling vomit during a coughing fit and raising the possibility of new infection. Doctors aspirated the vomit and put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation, a mask that pumps oxygen into the lungs.
He used the ventilation on Saturday, alternating it with just supplemental oxygen, and by Sunday no longer needed it.
Doctors also reported he had no fever or raised white blood cell levels, which would have indicated his body was fighting a new infection. The doctors had said they needed 24 to 48 hours after Friday’s coughing episode to determine if there were any negative impacts on Francis’ overall condition. The passage of time and positive reports Sunday suggested he had overcome the episode successfully.
The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both lungs.
Prayers continued to pour in
Francis’ hospitalization has come as the Vatican is marking its Holy Year, drawing pilgrims to Rome from all over. Many have added a pilgrimage destination to their itineraries so they can pray for Francis at the Gemelli hospital, which is around a 20-minute drive from the Vatican, longer in rush hour or on public transport.
The Rev. Riccardo Fumagalli had accompanied a group of young people from Milan to Rome for the Jubilee and would have attended Francis’ Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday if he had delivered it as usual. Instead, they went to Gemelli.
“It seemed good to us to come here to express our closeness, especially of these teenagers, to be close to the Holy Father to pray for him, to pray for this moment of illness,” he said.
Cancer patient Antonino Cacace was also arriving Sunday at Gemelli from Milan for his own treatment, saying he has to undergo surgery in the coming days and was counting on Francis’ prayers.
“I am glad the pope is giving me help,” he said. “I am on the ninth (floor) and he is on the 10th (floor). I hope to meet him and see him,” he said.