Pope follows Vatican’s spiritual retreat from afar as he recovers from pneumonia
Francis is being treated for pneumonia in Rome.
The Pope is participating in the Vatican’s week-long spiritual retreat from a Rome hospital as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia and looks ahead to the 12th anniversary of his election amid questions about what the future of his papacy might look like.
Francis followed the opening of the retreat by video conference on Sunday.
He could see and hear the Rev Roberto Pasolini, preacher of the papal household, but the priests, bishops and cardinals in the Vatican auditorium could not see or hear him.
The Rev Pasolini delivered a meditation on “The hope of eternal life”, a theme that was chosen well before Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a complex lung infection.
The retreat, which is an annual gathering that kicks off the Catholic Church’s solemn Lenten season leading to Easter, continues through the week.
The Vatican has said Francis would participate “in spiritual communion” with the rest of the hierarchy, from afar.
In its early update on Monday, the Vatican said Francis was resting after a quiet night.
At the time of his admission to hospital last month, the 88-year-old Pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, had what was then just a bad case of bronchitis.
The infection progressed into a complex respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia that has sidelined Francis for the longest period of his 12-year papacy and raised questions about the future.
He has now remained in stable condition for over a week, with no fever, respiratory crises and good oxygen levels in his blood for several days, doctors reported.
Doctors said that such stability was in itself a positive thing and showed he was responding well to therapy. But they kept his prognosis as “guarded,” meaning that he is not out of danger.
On Thursday, the Vatican will mark the 12th anniversary of Francis’ election, the first with the pope out of sight but still very much in charge.
