Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
On April 13, Pope Francis, despite the Vatican’s repeated insistence that he is observing a two-month period of rest, made his fourth surprise outing in a week to pray at his favorite Roman basilica.
Pope Francis made another surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square at the end of Palm Sunday Mass on April 13, starting Holy Week.
Pope Francis’ surprise visit to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray and see ongoing restoration work is a clear sign that his condition is improving, the Vatican press office said. The 88-year-old pope, pushed in a wheelchair by his nurse and using a nasal cannula to deliver supplemental oxygen, entered the basilica just before 1 p.m. April 10. Vatican News said he went to the basilica to pray at the tomb of St. Pius X.
Although they postponed their official state visit to the Vatican because of Pope Francis’ health, Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla met privately with the pope April 9, the Vatican press office said.
Pope Francis’ condition remains stable, and an X-ray showed there has been a slight improvement regarding his lingering lung infection, the Vatican press office said.
For Pope Francis’ medical team at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Feb. 28 was the worst day.
Pope Francis no longer needs the “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” he has used most nights since experiencing a breathing “crisis” Feb. 28, his doctors reported in a bulletin released by the Vatican press office March 19.
For the first time since Pope Francis was hospitalized in mid-February, the Vatican press office released a photograph of him March 16; the image shows him concelebrating Mass that morning in the chapel of his suite of rooms at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
Marking the 12th anniversary of Pope Francis’s election, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered prayers for the Holy Father’s recovery on behalf of Catholics in the United States, and highlighted the shared commitment both sides have for global peace.
