ROME (AP) – Pope Francis has responded well to treating dual pneumonia, and has recently shown “gradual and slight improvements,” the Vatican said on Saturday. However, his doctors decided that his prognosis was protected. This means he has not yet been out of danger.
The 88-year-old Pope, suffering from chronic lung disease and who removed a portion of one lung as a young man, has remained stable for several days without fever and good oxygen levels in his blood.
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.
Francis worked and rested on Saturday during the day. His condition has stabilized as he entered his fourth week at Gemeri Hospital in Rome, following several matches in the acute respiratory crisis last week.
“To record these initial improvements in the coming days, his doctors are being careful to keep their prognosis vigilant,” the statement said.
In his absence, the daily operations of the Vatican continued, with Cardinal Peter Parolin celebrating Mass for the abortion group at St. Peter’s Cathedral. First, Parolin delivered a message from the Pope from the hospital about the need to protect life from birth to natural death.
In a message dated March 5th, addressed the movement to provide women with alternative abortions to women, Francis encouraged loyal people to promote anti-abortion activities not only because of their fetus, but also because “elders, no longer independent or unacrable illnesses.”
Later on Saturday, another cardinal closely related to Francis’s Pope, the Cardinal Michael Cherney of Canada, will preside over an evening recitation of prayer for Francis. Czerny then returns on Sunday to celebrate 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.
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Associated Press’ Religious Reporting will be supported through collaboration with the Associated Press and Conversation, along with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is responsible for this content only.
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