Pope Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia on Saturday as the Vatican machinery and Holy Year celebrations marched on without him, this weekend dedicated to the Catholic Church’s volunteers.
Francis was continuing his respiratory and physical therapy after a quiet, restful night, the Vatican said.
The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, entered his fourth week at Rome’s Gemelli hospital with his condition stabilized following a few bouts of acute respiratory crises.
In his absence, the Vatican’s day-to-day operations continued, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrating Mass for a pro-life group in St. Peter’s Basilica. At the start, Parolin delivered a message from the pope from the hospital on the need to protect life, from birth to natural death.
In the message, dated March 5 and addressed to the Movement for Life, which seeks to provide women with alternatives to abortion, Francis encouraged the faithful to promote pro-life activities not just for the unborn, but “for the elderly, no longer independent or the incurably ill.”
Later on Saturday, another cardinal closely associated with Francis’ papacy, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, presides over the nightly recitation of prayers for Francis. Czerny then returns on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Year Mass for volunteers that Francis was supposed to have celebrated.
On Friday, Vatican sources reiterated that Francis is in a stable condition and that the picture is complex, which is why the prognosis remains reserved. On Saturday afternoon, the medical bulletin is expected to provide more information about the progress of the therapy.
