Pope Francis stepped up his physical therapy and remained stable Wednesday. He marked the start of Lent by receiving ashes on his forehead and contacting a parish priest in Gaza, the Vatican said.
The Pope has not experienced any respiratory crises during the day, receiving oxygen through a nasal tube as he had in previous days. He will again begin using a non-invasive mechanical mask at night.
Doctors who treated the Pope for double pneumonia stressed that their prognosis for his condition remains cautious due to the complex nature of the disease.
An 88-year-old man with chronic lung disease who had surgery to remove part of a lung when he was younger had two respiratory crises on Monday that slowed his recovery.
In the morning he participated in the Ash Wednesday celebration, receiving ashes and taking communion.
He later continued the work, which included a call to the Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine priest who is rector of the Holy Family Church in Gaza. It was the third time they had spoken since the pope was hospitalized on Feb. 14.
The Catholic Church opened the solemn fast leading up to Easter on Wednesday without Francis' participation.
The cardinal took the pope's place, leading a short penitential procession between two churches on the Aventine Hill and beginning the Ash Wednesday homily prepared for the pontiff with words of solidarity and gratitude to Francis.
“We feel deeply united with him at this moment,” Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said. “And we thank him for his prayers and suffering for the good of the whole Church throughout the world.”
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter on April 20. A cardinal has been appointed to replace Francis at the Vatican celebrations.
On Ash Wednesday, Catholic believers cross themselves with ashes on their foreheads, a gesture that emphasizes a person's mortality.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
