ROME (AP) – Pope Francis continued his recovery from dual pneumonia on Sunday after doctors reported some positive news. After more than three weeks in the hospital, the 88-year-old Pope responded well to treatment, recently showing “slow and slight improvements.”
In an update earlier on Sunday, the Vatican said Francis was resting after a quiet night. On the fourth Sunday in a row, the Pope will not appear for his weekly noon blessing, but the Vatican had planned to distribute texts that he would have provided if he had enough.
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The Argentine Pope, who suffers from chronic lung disease and who removed part of one of his lungs as a youth, remains stable for several days with no fever and good oxygen levels in his blood, doctors reported Saturday in a Vatican statement.
The doctor said such stability “proves a good response to treatment as a result.” It was the first time a doctor has reported that Francis was actively responding to treatment of a complex pulmonary infection diagnosed after being admitted to the hospital on February 14th.
However, they maintained his prognosis as “protected.” In other words, he is not out of danger.
In his absence, the daily operations of the Vatican were celebrations of that holy year, a quarter century jubilee, bringing millions of pilgrims to Rome. On Sunday, Canada's Cardinal Michael Cherney near Francis celebrates the holy year of volunteers that Francis appears to have celebrated.
Francis uses a high flow of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and use a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.
Francis was hospitalized on February 14th due to a bad case of bronchitis at the time. The infection progressed to a complex respiratory infection and dual pneumonia that sidelined Francis for the longest time in the Pope for 12 years, raising questions about the future.
