Although pope is improving, he will not lead Ash Wednesday services

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While Pope Francis’ condition has continued to improve, the Vatican announced that he will not lead his traditional Ash Wednesday services in Rome March 5.

Instead, the Vatican said, the Ash Wednesday procession from the Rome Church of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina for Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the major penitentiary or head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a church court dealing with matters of conscience.

The Vatican announcement Feb. 28 came after a typically brief morning bulletin that said the pope had had a peaceful night and was resting.

A source later said the pope got out of bed, had breakfast and was continuing to receive his treatment and doing his respiratory physiotherapy.

Pope Francis, 88, has been undergoing treatment for double pneumonia in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14; doctors said Feb. 27 his prognosis remains “guarded.”

The Vatican also announced that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and an Argentine like the pope, would lead the rosary in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 28. Cardinals have been leading a nightly rosary to pray for the pope since Feb. 24.