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Pope absent from St Peter's Square for third week running Pope absent from St Peter's Square for third week running
(about 1 hour later)
Rome's Gemelli hospital, where the Pope is receiving treatment, has a mural depicting himRome's Gemelli hospital, where the Pope is receiving treatment, has a mural depicting him
For the third week in a row, Pope Francis has been unable to deliver his traditional Angelus prayer in person, with the Vatican publishing his written comments instead.For the third week in a row, Pope Francis has been unable to deliver his traditional Angelus prayer in person, with the Vatican publishing his written comments instead.
The Vatican said the text, sent from his hospital room in Rome, had been written "in the past few days". In it, the Pope thanked people for their prayers and thanked his medical team for their care. Vatican officials said the text, sent from his hospital room in Rome, had been written "in the past few days". In it, the Pope thanked people for their prayers and thanked his medical team for their care.
"I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," he wrote."I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," he wrote.
"At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.""At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people."
The Pope told Catholics around the world that he felt their "affection and closeness". The Pope usually makes his address from a window of the official Vatican appartments, drawing a crowd below on St Peter's Square.
"I feel as if I am 'carried' and supported by all God's people. Thank you all!" the text reads. Many Catholics come specially for the chance to see him but this is now the longest Pope Francis has been out of the public eye since he was elected.
The Vatican said the pontiff's clinical conditions had remained stable on Sunday. Each evening on the square, a group of cardinals lead people in prayers for his health.
He had not required "non-invasive mechanical ventilation, only high-flow oxygen therapy," it said. In his latest written address, the Pope told Catholics that he felt their "affection and closeness" and felt "carried and supported by all God's people".
The Pope did not have a fever and had participated in mass on Sunday morning with those caring for him in Rome's Gemelli hospital, it added, and spent the rest of the day alternating rest and prayer. The Vatican said he remained stable on Sunday, although doctors still describe his overall condition - with pneumonia - as "complex" and the risk of another infection is high. After 16 days in hospital, they are still giving no prognosis.
In an update on Sunday morning, Pope Francis was said to be resting after a "peaceful" night. The medical team has not spoken directly to journalists for over a week, and all updates are coming via Vatican officials.
"The Pope woke, had breakfast with coffee, continued his therapy and read the newspapers as he usually does." On Sunday, they said the Pope no longer required "non-invasive mechanical ventilation, only high-flow oxygen therapy".
The pontiff received two visitors in hospital on Sunday – the first outside visitors the Vatican has mentioned since last Monday. He does not have a fever and was able to participate in mass in a chapel on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli hospital where he is being treated.
Once again, it was Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin and his deputy, Monsignor Pena Parra, who saw Pope Francis in his 10th-floor hospital room. There are no details about the length of time they spent with him or what was discussed.
The Roman hospital caring for Pope FrancisThe Roman hospital caring for Pope Francis
In pictures: Prayers for the Pope around the worldIn pictures: Prayers for the Pope around the world
On Friday, the Pope suffered a second breathing "crisis", after which he was receiving extra oxygen support - but was not intubated. The Pope also received two visitors - Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin and his deputy Monsignor Pena Parra. They are the first to be mentioned by the Vatican in almost a week.
By Saturday evening, the Vatican described his condition as stable, with no fever and no further "crises" with his breathing. He was said to be "alert" and eating normally. There are no details about the length of time the men spent with him or what was discussed.
In his Sunday Angelus, the Pope also prayed for peace, including in "tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel", adding: "From here, war appears even more absurd." The latest details do suggest that the Pope has rallied somewhat since Friday, when he suffered a second breathing "crisis" which doctors had worried might have a lasting impact. It was the second time the word "crisis" had been used since he was admitted to hospital on 14 February.
On Sundays, visitors to the Vatican usually gather on St Peter's Square to see the Pope appear at a window high up in the Apostolic Palace in the official Papal apartment. By Sunday, though, Vatican sources were more reassuring.
However, Francis does not live there, opting for the simpler setting of the Vatican's Santa Marta guest house. "The Pope woke, had breakfast with coffee, continued his therapy and read the newspapers as he usually does," they told journalists.
In his Sunday Angelus, the Pope prayed for peace, including in "tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel", adding: "From here, war appears even more absurd."
Always outspoken against war, some of the Pope's previous comments on Ukraine have nevertheless created controversy.
He suggested that Russia's full-scale invasion was "somehow provoked" and on one occasion agreed that Kyiv should show "the courage of the white flag" and negotiate for peace.