THE Pope had a “restful night” on Thursday, and his condition remains stable, three weeks after he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia in both lungs.
On Thursday evening, a short audio message was released in which Pope Francis thanked supporters for their prayers. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you,” he said.
It was the first recording of the Pope’s voice to be heard since his hospitalisation in February. It was played at the start of the nightly rosary prayers held in St Peter’s Square.
The Pope remained on a ventilator overnight, with supplemental oxygen through a nasal cannula during the day, according to a statement from the Holy See press office.
The press office has been issuing twice-daily updates on the Pope’s condition, but have announced that, “given the stability of his clinical condition”, the next full medical bulletin would be issued on Saturday.
On Ash Wednesday, the Pope took part in the blessing of the sacred ashes, which were imposed on him by the celebrant. “Afterwards, he engaged in several work activities. . . In the afternoon, he alternated between rest and work,” a statement that day said.
A post on Pope Francis’s account on X said that the ashes “remind us of who we are, which does us good. It puts us in our place, smooths out the rough edges of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another. None of us is God; we are all on a journey.”
The English Cricket Board apologised after its account reposted the Pope’s message with a joke about the Pope enjoying “the Ashes” — the name by which the cricket contest between Australia and England is known.
A spokesperson said: “This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted. We apologise for any offence.”
Pope Francis has been undergoing treatment in the Gemelli Hospital, in Rome, since 14 February, when he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. His condition was initially not reported to be life-threatening, but he later experienced “an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity”, and received a blood transfusion.
It was reported last week that the Archbishop of York wrote to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, shortly after Pope Francis was hospitalised last month. In his letter, Archbishop Cottrell assured Cardinal Nichols “and the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, of my prayers and those many faithful Anglicans for the health of Pope Francis during this period of hospitalisation; we are praying for a good and swift recovery, for his comfort and peace, and also for all those who tend to him and minister to him.”
His letter continued: “I was present in Rome at the recent Ecumenical Vespers, over which His Holiness presided, and he reminded those in St Paul’s Outside the Walls that hope lies at the heart of the Gospel, the ecumenical endeavour, and this Jubilee year.”
Cardinal Nichols replied: “In these times, when the burden of his office weighs ever more heavily, the Holy Father is strengthened by the prayerful support of so many. Your words, filled with charity and fraternal care, are a testament to the deep bonds that unite us in Christ.”