The Vatican said Pope Francis was successfully undergoing treatment for double pneumonia and had shown “gradual and slight improvement” in recent days.
Doctors in a Vatican statement said the 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had surgery to remove part of a lung in his youth, had remained in stable condition for several days, had no fever and his blood oxygen levels were normal.
However, they decided not to provide a prognosis, indicating that he is still not out of danger.
Doctors stressed that such stability “ultimately indicates a positive response to therapy.”
Doctors have reported for the first time that Pope Francis is responding positively to treatment for a severe lung infection that was diagnosed after he was hospitalized on February 14.
Francis worked and rested during the day on Saturday. He is in his fourth week at Rome's Gemelli hospital, his condition stabilised after several episodes of acute respiratory illness last week.
“To consolidate these initial improvements over the coming days, his doctors are prudent in maintaining a guarded prognosis,” the statement said.
In his absence, the Vatican's daily business continued, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrating Mass for an anti-abortion group in St. Peter's Basilica. He began by reading the Pope's message from the hospital about the need to protect life from birth to natural death.
In a March 5 message to the Movement for Life, which seeks to provide women with alternatives to abortion, Francis called on the faithful to support anti-abortion initiatives not only for unborn children but also “for older people who can no longer live independently or who suffer from incurable diseases.”
Later on Saturday, another cardinal close to Francis' papacy, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, will lead an evening prayer for the pope.
Then on Sunday, Cardinal Cerny will return to celebrate the Holy Year Mass for volunteers that Francis was scheduled to celebrate.
Francis is given large amounts of supplemental oxygen during the day to help him breathe, and uses a non-invasive ventilation mask at night.
He was hospitalized on Feb. 14 with what was then thought to be a severe case of bronchitis. The infection developed into a complex chest infection and double pneumonia, marking the longest period of his 12-year papacy without ministry and raising questions about the future.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
