Pope Francis remained in stable condition Sunday and didn’t need any mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said. It was a sign that his respiratory function was improving as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia and a respiratory crisis.
The 88-year-old pope did continue to receive high flow supplemental oxygen after Friday’s coughing episode, which sparked fears of a new infection. Doctors again said his prognosis remained guarded, meaning he isn’t out of danger.
Earlier, Francis thanked his doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers on Sunday as he continued his recovery from double pneumonia at a Rome hospital.
Skipping his weekly noon blessing for a third week to avoid even a brief public appearance, the Vatican distributed a message from the pope in which he said he was living his hospitalization as an experience of profound solidarity with people who are sick and suffering everywhere.
“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.”
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
In his note, the pope also prayed again for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.
“From here, war appears even more absurd,” Francis said in the message, which he drafted in recent days from the Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said.
The 88-year-old pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both lungs.
Doctors on Saturday reported that Francis was in stable condition, with no mention of him being critical, and managed to take “long periods” of time off the noninvasive mechanical ventilation he needed to recover after Friday’s respiratory crisis.
“The night was quiet, the pope is still resting,” the Vatican said in its Sunday update. Francis was up, read the Sunday papers and had coffee and breakfast while continuing with his therapy.
The 88-year-old pope had a “good response” in his gas exchange levels even while off the ventilator mask Saturday and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said.
He had no fever or signs of elevated white blood cells, which would signal his body was fighting a new infection.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his chief of staff, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, also called on the pope Sunday morning, their second visit since Francis’ Feb. 14 hospitalization, according to the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni. There were no details of what was discussed, but the mere visit suggested Francis’ condition was stabilizing.
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.
