Pope Francis has thanked well-wishers for their support as he remains in hospital recovering from double pneumonia.
“I would like to thank you for the prayers,” Francis said in a note released by the Vatican in place of his usual Sunday prayer with pilgrims, which the pope was not able to lead for the third week running.
“I feel all your affection and closeness and … I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people,” the message said.
Francis also met at the hospital on Sunday with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s number-two official, and Parolin’s deputy, said Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, without giving further details about the meeting.
However, the pontiff again skipped his customary Sunday blessing, forgoing a public appearance for the third consecutive weekend.
While the Pope could have delivered the Angelus prayer from his hospital suite, the Vatican opted to distribute the prepared text, prioritising his continued recuperation. This suggests that while stable, Francis is not yet well enough to undertake even brief public engagements.
“The night was quiet, the pope is still resting,” the Vatican said in its Sunday update.
He had no fever or signs of elevated white blood cells, which would signal his body was still fighting an infection.
Doctors on Saturday reported that Francis was in a stable condition, with no mention of him being critical, and signalled once again continued improvement.
Their upbeat assessment came a day after a respiratory crisis that resulted in him being put on non-invasive mechanical ventilation.
The 88-year-old pope though had a “good response” in his gas exchange levels even during the “long periods” he was off the ventilator mask and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said.
The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli on 14 February after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both lungs.
The fact that Francis was able to use just high-flow oxygen for long periods, without any significant effect on the levels of oxygen in his blood, was a sign his respiratory function was improving.
Doctors were cautious however and kept his prognosis as guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger. He was eating and drinking and continued his respiratory physiotherapy, and spent 20 minutes in his private chapel down the hall on Saturday, the Vatican said.
