Pope Francis is back on his feet and receiving treatment after appearing to overcome his recovery from pneumonia.
The Vatican said his health had stabilized, he was off a ventilator and showed no signs of a new infection after a respiratory crisis late last week.
“The Pope rested well all night,” the Vatican said in a statement from Gemelli Hospital, where he has been staying since February 14.
On Monday he drank coffee, had breakfast and continued his therapy.
Doctors said the 88-year-old dad spent all of Sunday without a non-invasive ventilation mask, which pumps oxygen into his lungs and which he had to use after a coughing fit on Friday.
He continued to receive supplemental high flow oxygen through a nasal tube.
A respiratory crisis on Friday raised fears of a new lung infection after Francis inhaled vomit. Doctors removed it and said it would take 24 to 48 hours to confirm whether any new infection had developed.
On Sunday evening, they reported that Francis' condition remained stable, with no fever or signs of infection, suggesting he had overcome the crisis. His prognosis remains guarded, meaning he is not out of danger.
Francis also met Sunday with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolino, and his chief of staff, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. The content of their discussions was not disclosed, but Francis regularly meets with them at least once a week when he is in the Vatican.
He again skipped his weekly midday blessing to avoid even a brief public appearance from the hospital. Instead, the Vatican issued a message written by the pope from the 10th floor, thanking doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, and again praying for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.
“From this point of view, war seems even more absurd,” Francis said in a message he prepared in recent days, noting that his stay in the hospital had been an experience of profound solidarity with those sick and suffering around the world.
“I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden in weakness, because it is in such moments that we learn to trust the Lord even more,” he added in the text.
“At the same time, I thank God for the opportunity to share in body and soul the condition of many sick and suffering people.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
