The Vatican is expected to publish the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer in written format again for the fifth week in a row as Pope Francis continues to be treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
The pope typically recites the Angelus from a window overlooking St Peter's Square to a gathering of the faithful, whose numbers have swelled in the wake of the jubilee year that Francis opened in December.
In addition to stopping at St. Peter's Basilica, where an indulgence can be obtained by passing through the basilica's Holy Doors, pilgrims now also stop in Gemelli, which is a 15-minute train ride from the Vatican.
Doctors said this week that the 88-year-old pontiff was no longer in critical, life-threatening condition, but they continued to stress that his condition remains complicated by his age, limited mobility and the loss of part of a lung in his youth.
Medical bulletins are now being issued less frequently as the pontiff's condition improves. This week, X-rays confirmed that the infection was clearing up.
Francis has not appeared in public since he was hospitalized on February 14 for a bout of bronchitis that left him unable to speak. Doctors soon diagnosed him with double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection.
His first three weeks in hospital were marred by a series of complications, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe cough.
In the latest medical report released on Saturday, doctors said they were working to reduce the pope's need to use a non-invasive ventilation mask at night, which would allow his lungs to work harder.
Doctors stress that while the pope's condition is stable, he still needs to remain in hospital for physical and respiratory therapy, which “show further gradual improvement,” the Vatican said Saturday in its first medical report in three days.
The Vatican added that the next update would not be published until mid-next week.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
