Pope follows Lenten retreat from hospital; his condition remains stable

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Pope Francis’ condition remains stable, which is a sign of continued improvement, he followed the start of the Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia by video linkup and met again with two top Vatican officials to stay abreast of current events, the Vatican press office said.

The pope also participated in Mass in the morning March 9, the first Sunday of Lent, in the chapel that is part of the suite of rooms reserved for the popes on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, it said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for general affairs in the secretariat, visited the pope at the hospital March 9 “and, among other things, updated him on some situations in the church and the world,” the press office said.

It was the third visit by the two officials since the 88-year-old pope was hospitalized Feb. 14.

Pope Francis had said he would be joining spiritually with those participating in the retreat in the Paul VI Audience Hall March 9-14. But the Vatican press office said he was able to follow the spiritual exercises from the hospital by video. The meditations are being led by Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini, the new preacher of the papal household, and reflect on the theme, “The hope of eternal life.”

The pope, who has been diagnosed with double pneumonia and other respiratory difficulties, is continuing his prescribed therapies, including breathing exercises and physical therapy, the press office said. He also continues to use noninvasive mechanical ventilation with a mask at night and high-flow oxygen through a nasal tube during the day.

The pope’s doctors released no official medical bulletin given that his lab tests and condition continue to remain stable. The press office said his condition remains unchanged from March 8, and that this stability is in itself a sign of improvement. His overall “clinical picture remains complex,” it added.

Doctors said March 8 that the pope’s continued “gradual, slight improvement” is a sign that he is responding to the therapy he is receiving. The pope has remained without a fever “at all times,” and his oxygen levels “have improved,” the doctors had said in the medical bulletin released by the Vatican.

The March 8 bulletin was the first time the doctors spoke of “a good response to therapy.”

However, the bulletin said, the doctors are “prudently” still saying that Pope Francis’ prognosis is “guarded” as they await further improvements.

While he has been hospitalized, top members of the Roman Curia have been presiding in his stead over the Jubilee Masses that had been scheduled since last year.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided over the Mass concluding the Jubilee of the World of Volunteering in St. Peter’s Square March 9 and read the homily prepared by Pope Francis.

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