With a fragile voice

Pope continues to be supplied with oxygen

Pope Francis has now been in hospital for exactly three weeks.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Tiziana FABI)

An audio message from Pope Francis has been published for the first time since he was admitted to hospital three weeks ago. In it, he thanked everyone for their prayers. "I thank you with all my heart for your prayers for my health in the square. I accompany you from here," said the 88-year-old. 

The message was played in St. Peter's Square on Thursday evening in front of the faithful who had gathered to pray the rosary for the ailing Pope.

Heavily stricken voice
"May God bless you and may the Virgin protect you. Thank you!" said Francis in Spanish in a heavily stricken voice. The people gathered in the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica then applauded. The message is said to have been recorded this Thursday, according to the Vatican.

May God bless you and may the Virgin protect you. Thank you!

Papst Franziskus in einer Audiobotschaft

People prayed the rosary in St. Peter's Square
For the eleventh evening in a row, people gathered in St. Peter's Square on Thursday evening to pray the rosary for Francis. A different high-ranking churchman presides over the prayer each evening. The Pope has been in the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome since February 14 due to bilateral pneumonia.

(Bild: AP/Mahesh Kumar A.)

After the Pope had to go through two respiratory crises again at the beginning of the week, the health of the head of the Church has since been "stable" again. The 88-year-old spent another day without a respiratory crisis on Thursday, according to a Vatican bulletin.

The Pope has therefore continued breathing exercises and physiotherapy. He is fever-free and his blood values are stable. The prognosis is still guarded, which means that the Pope is still not out of danger, according to the bulletin. Francis rested and prayed on Thursday. He also devoted himself to his work in the mornings and afternoons.

New bulletin will not be published until Saturday
In view of the Pope's stable condition, who has been in the "Agostino Gemelli" polyclinic in Rome since February 14, no announcement about his situation will be made on Friday evening. The next medical report will only be published on Saturday, it was said. Three weeks since the Pope was admitted to hospital, the Vatican is thus interrupting the usual rhythm of the evening bulletin on the Pontiff's state of health.

Pope Francis is now being supplied with additional oxygen. This is done partly with a breathing mask and partly through cannulas. At night, the Pope wears a mask over his mouth and nose, which allows him to be mechanically ventilated in a non-invasive way, according to Vatican circles on Thursday. During the day, he is supplied with oxygen via a tube through his nose.

Pope had two seizures on Monday
On Monday, the 88-year-old suffered two cases of acute respiratory failure caused by a considerable build-up of mucus in his lungs and muscle spasms in the bronchial area. As a result, two bronchoscopies were carried out, during which secretions were aspirated.

Concern for the Pope, who had already suffered a respiratory crisis last Friday, therefore remains high. Francis has now been in the Gemelli Clinic in Rome for 21 days - longer than ever before during his almost twelve years in office. He is being treated in the hospital for bilateral pneumonia. He has not been seen in public since his admission.

Cardinal represented Francis on Ash Wednesday
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis represented the Pope at the opening mass of Lent on Ash Wednesday on the Aventine Hill in Rome. The Holy Father will also not take part in the annual Lenten retreats at the Vatican. However, the so-called Lenten retreats of the Roman Curia from March 9 to 14 will take place "in spiritual communion" with the sick Pope, as the Vatican announced on Tuesday. The meditations will be led by the Italian Capuchin priest Roberto Pasolini, "Preacher of the Pontifical Household" since November. The title of the retreat in the Vatican Audience Hall is "The Hope of Eternal Life".