Doctors said Monday that Pope Francis is no longer at risk of death as a result of pneumonia, but he has decided to remain hospitalized for several more days to get treatment.
In the latest update, doctors said the 88-year-old Pope remained stable and has stepped up recent improvements as determined by a positive response to blood tests and drug treatment.
“However, given the complexity of the clinical picture and the important infectious images presented during hospital admission, medical drug therapy should be continued in hospital settings,” according to a Vatican statement.
Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia and followed the Vatican’s week of spiritual retreat through video conference on Monday, watching the 12th anniversary of his election amid questions about what his Pope’s future looks like.
As he did on Sunday, Francis attends a remote retreat from the Rome Hospital where he is receiving treatment. He could see and hear the Rev. Roberto Pasolini, a preacher of the Pope’s house, but the priests, bishops, and cardinals, who gathered for retreat in the auditorium of the Vatican, could not see or hear him.
Pasolini is offering a series of meditations this week on “The Hope of Eternal Life,” a theme that Francis was chosen before he was admitted to Rome’s Gemeri Hospital on February 14th with a complex pulmonary infection.
The retreat, an annual gathering that begins the Catholic Church’s solemn rental season leading up to Easter, continues throughout the week. The Vatican said Francis will take part in “spiritual communion” with other classes from afar.
In an early update on Monday, the Vatican said Francis is resuming his physical and respiratory therapy at Gemeri Hospital after a quiet night. Francis uses the nasal tube for supplemental oxygen to breathe during the day and assist with non-invasive mechanical ventilation masks at night.
The 88-year-old Pope suffers from chronic lung disease and had removed a portion of one of his lungs as a young man, but when he was hospitalized last month, he was a bad case of bronchitis. 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.
In the signs that Francis was still keeping an eye on things, the Vatican said he had been informed of the floods in his native Argentina, expressing his intimacy to the affected population. Additionally, the Vatican cardinal, near Francis, spoke on Monday to rebuttal some negative media reports that have spread in his absence.
The Vatican Development Office has published a letter written by Cardinal Michael Cerney to Argentine social justice activist Juan Grabois, one of Frances’ close friends. Gravois traveled to Rome to pray for Francis at the Gemeri hospital, and last month Italian media reported that he was trying to force himself into the suite of Francis’ 10th floor hospital, an allegation he denied.
In a letter on March 6th, Czerny told Grabois that Francis knew of your presence in Rome and his daily vigil of prayer and spiritual solidarity at Gemelli Polyclinic.
“In addition, I know I will be involved in strongly rejecting the unfounded version of alleged inappropriate behavior in the hospital,” Czerny writes.
The Vatican is always surprised by the rumors, but despite Francis is very alive and in charge, he has been overdrive with speculation about Francis’ health and permutation stories. The fact that Czerny felt the need to defend one of Francis’ friends suggested that rumors and maneuvering in Francis’ absence had crossed the line.
Francis is currently stable for more than a week, with fever, a respiratory crisis and good oxygen levels in his blood present for several days, doctors reported.
The doctor said that such stability was positive in itself, indicating that he responded well to treatment. However, they maintained his prognosis as “protected.” This means he is not out of danger. Doctors were expected to provide medical updates later on Monday.
On Thursday, the Vatican will commemorate the 12th anniversary of Francis’ election. Francis was elected Pope 266, on March 13, 2013, as the first Jesuit Pope and the first Jesuit Pope from Latin America, Pope 266.
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