Pope Francis notching important milestones this week as he recovers from pneumonia in Rome hospital
The recovery of Pope Francis from double pneumonia continued Wednesday as he inched toward the 12th anniversary of his election as pope.
ROME — The recovery of Pope Francis from double pneumonia continued Wednesday as he inched toward notching some important milestones in his papacy: the 12th anniversary Thursday of his election as pope and a near-record in hospital stays for a pontiff.
The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis had a quiet night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
If the last few days are any guide, the 88-year-old Argentine will most likely follow the Vatican’s spiritual retreat remotely while his physical and respiratory therapy continues. The pope’s weekly Wednesday general audience was canceled anyway, since the entire Vatican hierarchy is on retreat this week as part of the Lenten spiritual exercises that have been a mainstay of the Jesuit pope’s pontificate.
Doctors have said Francis is making slow, gradual improvements and this week declared that he’s no longer in imminent danger of death as a result of the complex respiratory infection he had when he was admitted on Feb. 14. But they remain cautious, given the complexity of his condition and overall fragility, and say he needs to remain hospitalized for an unspecified number of days.
Another medical update was expected later Wednesday.
Rating: 5