VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis continues to rest, pray, follow his doctors’ prescribed therapies and work a bit throughout the day, the Vatican press office said March 7.
His overall clinical condition continues to be “stable” and “complex,” and his prognosis remains “guarded,” which means the pope is still not out of danger, the press office said during an evening briefing.
On his 22nd day at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the 88-year-old pope spent 20 minutes praying in the chapel that is part of the suite of rooms reserved for the popes on the 10th floor of the hospital.
His prescribed therapies include breathing exercises and physical therapy to prevent problems associated with limited movement during a prolonged hospital stay.
Pope Francis continues to receive high-flow oxygen through a nasal cannula during the day and to use “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” to help him breathe through the night, the press office said.
The last official medical bulletin was early March 7 with doctors reporting that Pope Francis had a peaceful night and woke shortly after 8 a.m.
His doctors have said that as long as his lab tests and condition remained “stable” and there was nothing new to communicate, there was no need to keep issuing the same reports each day, a Vatican source said. It is a “wait-and-see” situation to see how his condition and treatments evolve. The next medical bulletin was expected to be published the evening of March 8.
The evening rosary March 7 to pray for the pope and all people who are ill was being led by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy.
Pope Francis recorded an audio message in Spanish March 6 that was played before the nightly recitation of the rosary in St. Peter’s Square that same evening. The hundreds of people in the square applauded before and after listening to the pope, who said, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square; I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
The message had been recorded in the hospital earlier in the day, the Vatican press office had said. It was the first time the public had heard his voice since he was hospitalized Feb. 14 for bronchitis and difficulty breathing. The pope, who has been battling double pneumonia, had difficulty speaking in the recording.
Matteo Bruni, head of the Vatican press office, told reporters March 7 that the pope wanted the audio with his greeting to be broadcast “to thank people for their many prayers for him.” It is thanks to these prayers that the pope “feels as if he is ‘carried’ and supported by the whole people of God.”
The pope also thanked his @Pontifex followers on X March 7, saying “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
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