Vatican

On his 21st day in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Pope Francis’ condition remained stable, and he continued his respiratory and physical therapy “with benefit” March 6, his doctors said.

Like St. John Paul II, Pope Francis knows the “cross of Christ is never abandoned” and that everything is in God’s hands, said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was the late pope’s personal secretary for 39 years.

Pope Francis marked Ash Wednesday on his 20th day in Rome’s Gemelli hospital by taking part in the rite of the blessing of the ashes and receiving them in a short prayer service, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis has expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of prayers from all over the world, said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who has visited the pope twice in the hospital.

Despite her distress at losing the 12-year-old Jesus, Mary’s search for her son is a model of every Christian’s journey to deepen their relationship with Christ, Pope Francis said in a prepared message.

The Polish prelate, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, is the pope’s point man for distributing alms to the poor and needy — those that Francis put at the center of his papacy. Cardinal Krajewski led the rosary March 2.

The morning after suffering two acute episodes of respiratory crisis, Pope Francis no longer needed oxygen through a breathing mask, the Vatican said.

The nightly recitation of the rosary for Pope Francis and for all the sick “is a beautiful gesture” of affection and of faith, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.