Docs suggest Pope has passed the worst
ROME—Pope Francis reached the two-week mark recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection while holding out on declaring him out of danger entirely.
The Vatican’s early Friday update also suggested a level of normalcy and routine as the 88-year-old pope continues recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. “As in past days, the night was tranquil and the pope now is resting.”
In their Thursday evening bulletin, doctors said Francis’ clinical condition had confirmed that he was improving. He was alternating the high-flow supplemental oxygen he had been receiving by a nasal tube with a mask in a sign of improved respiratory function.
Additionally, he left his hospital room to go to his nearby private chapel to pray, while continuing with respiratory physiotherapy and work, the Vatican said.
‘Slower than we like’
For the second day in a row, doctors avoided saying Francis was in critical condition, suggesting he had overcome the most acute phase of the infection. But given the complexity of his lung infection, they said “further days of clinical stability are needed” before they revise their prognosis officially and say he is out of danger.
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the pope’s health, noted that Thursday’s statement was the second consecutive one that did not describe the pope’s condition as “critical”.
“Maybe we can say he has passed the most critical phase,” said the official.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vatican’s human development office, said in an interview with Italy’s La Stampa newspaper that Francis was getting better, albeit “slower than what we would like”.
Francis has been at Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14 after his bronchitis worsened.
He has shown steady, albeit slight improvements since a respiratory crisis and kidney trouble over the weekend sparked fears for his life. The improvements beat back speculation of an imminent death, resignation or a conclave and signaled that he was still very much in charge.
In Mexico City, a few dozen people gathered Thursday night at the cathedral to pray for Francis’ recovery.
“He is like part of the family,” said Araceli Gutiérrez, who treasures the time she saw the pope during his trip to the country of nearly 100 million Catholics in 2016. “That’s why we feel so concerned for him.”
Relative ‘in high places’
María Teresa Sánchez, who was visiting from Colombia with her sister, said that she has always felt close to Francis—the first Latin American pope.
“That’s like having a relative within the higher-ups, with God,” she said. “He has done so much for religion; he’s such a humble person.”
Despite his improvements, Francis’ near-term upcoming calendar of events was being changed: The Vatican canceled a Holy Year audience scheduled for Saturday, and it remained to be seen if Francis would skip his Sunday noon blessing for the third week in a row.
Ash Wednesday next week starts the Lenten season leading up to Holy Week and Easter, which this year falls on April 20.
