Pope Francis briefed on world, church matters on 24th consecutive day in hospital: Vatican
ROME and LONDON -- Pope Francis on Sunday spent his 24th consecutive day in the hospital receiving therapy and getting an update on world and church affairs, the Vatican's press office said in a brief statement.
"The night was quiet, the pope is resting," the Holy See said Sunday morning.
The Vatican said Sunday night that the pope's condition remains "stable." But his "overall situation remains complex, prompting doctors to maintain a guarded prognosis."
The pope took part in mass Sunday morning in the chapel in his 10th-floor apartment in Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said. On Sunday evening, the pope watched live coverage of the first day of Spiritual Exercises for Lent for the Roman curia held in the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican.
The Vatican said Pope Francis also continued his treatment Sunday and underwent motor and respiratory physiotherapy.
"His ventilation continues to switch from the day use of high-flow to anti-invasive mechanical ventilation at night," according to the Vatican statement.
The Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the substitute for general affairs of the secretary of state, Archbishop Penna Parra, visited the Pope in the hospital to update him on church and world matters on Sunday, according to the Vatican.
Officials with the Catholic Church, which the pope has led since 2013, said on Saturday that the 88-year-old pontiff had demonstrated a good response to therapy.
"The doctors, hoping to record these initial improvements in the coming days, are prudently keeping the prognosis as still guarded," the Vatican said.
Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
Earlier Sunday, the pope released the text of his Angelus address, or weekly address, thanking the doctors and nurses caring for him. He also prayed for the many people around the world who are enduring illness, according to the Vatican.
"During my prolonged hospitalization here," the pope said, "I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart."
