As Pope Francis continues to recover at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Catholics in the pope’s Diocese of Rome and around the world joined in prayer for his health.
Vatican
Pope Francis’ doctors described his condition as “stable” late Feb. 19 even though “blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory markers,” which are used to monitor infections, a Vatican medical bulletin said.
The morning after the Vatican confirmed Pope Francis has double pneumonia, the director of the Vatican press office said the pope had a restful night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
After undergoing a CT scan Feb. 18, Pope Francis was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said.
In another sign that Pope Francis’ stay in Rome’s Gemelli hospital will continue for some time, the Vatican announced a substitute presider for the Mass and ordinations as part of the Jubilee of Deacons.
After suffering from bronchitis for more than a week and having obvious difficulty breathing, the 88-year-old Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital Feb. 14.
Thanking members of the military and the police for their service, Pope Francis asked them to be on guard against seeing other people as enemies and instead dedicate their lives to defending life, peace, and justice.
Health care professionals who help expectant mothers have a vocation that is an ode to life, Pope Francis said.
Just a few blocks from Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain, the visitors’ office is where hundreds of Americans — and not only — go on Tuesday afternoons to pick up their tickets for the pope’s weekly general audience on Wednesdays
“Blessed are those who have not lost hope” is the theme for the fifth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be observed in the Catholic Church July 27.