Pope Francis stayed in the hospital on Saturday and recovered from double pneumonia as the Holy Year of the Vatican went without him.
“The night has passed quietly, the Pope is resting,” the Vatican said Saturday morning.
It has been three weeks since 88-year-old Francis was admitted to Gemeri Hospital in Rome on February 14th. The doctor first diagnosed the development of complex viral, bacterial, and fungal respiratory infections, and subsequently pneumonia in both lungs.
Pope Francis, who is still undergoing oxygen therapy, will not read Sunday prayers: Vatican
Pope Francis will wave waves from the central loggia of St. Peter's Cathedral at the Vatican on March 31, 2024, in the message of Easter's “Arbiet Orbi” and blessings on the city and the world as part of the celebration of Holy Week. (Tigiana Fabi/Pool/AFP/Getty)
Pope's state became stable after an acute respiratory crisis.
The Vatican promoted the celebration of Jubilee, the holy year of one quarter century, bringing pilgrims from all over the world to Rome. The Holy Year celebrates volunteers this weekend, with many extending their pilgrimage outside the hospital to pray for Francis.
Pope Francis is waving from his Pope cell phone after a weekly Angelus prayer at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on October 20, 2024. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty)
Canada's Cardinal Michael Cheney will preside on Sunday's Holy Year Mass for volunteers.
Francis spent 20 minutes at the Gemeri Hospital chapel on Friday, praying between rest, respiratory and physical therapy, doing some kind of work, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis shares his first audio message since hospitalisation: “May God bless you.”
Pope Francis will attend a general audience every week at Pope Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on August 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medicini, File)
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The Pope uses a high flow of supplementary oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.
Earlier this week, Francis, who had chronic lung disease and removed one part of a lung when he was young, suffered from acute respiratory failure and underwent bronchoscopy to inhale mucus from his lungs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
