Pope Francis is not out of danger. The Pontiff's condition remains extremely serious, although this Monday there was a slight improvement in laboratory tests and he did some work, reported the Vatican, including a call to a parish in Gaza City with which he has been in contact since the war began there. This Tuesday, the Vatican reported that Francis "has slept well all night."
The Vatican's evening bulletin on Monday was more optimistic than in recent days, despite Francis, 88, battling pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Christian faithful around the world are praying for the Pope, and the Vatican's Secretary of State presided over a solemn nighttime recitation of the Rosary in St. Peter's Square early this morning, reminiscent of the vigils when St. John Paul II was dying.
The Argentine Pope has not had any more respiratory crises since Saturday and continues to receive supplementary oxygen. The incipient renal failure detected on Sunday is alarming, according to doctors, although his prognosis remains reserved.
The Pope continues to be "a fragile patient," as warned by his doctor Luigi Carbone on Friday. His medical team has cautioned that it will take time for the medication treatment he is receiving to show a positive effect, reports Afp.
"Considering the complexity of the clinical picture, the doctors have declined to comment on the prognosis," the Vatican said on Monday. Francis, who is staying in a papal suite on the tenth floor of the hospital, has continued working and was able to move from his bed to a chair to receive the Eucharist.
Antibiotics are working
"The antibiotic therapy is working, the little information we have indicates a recovery and that things are heading in the right direction," said Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, in an interview with the newspaper La Stampa.
"A young person needs two weeks or even more to fully recover from double pneumonia. For an older person like Pope Francis, with all the complications that have been added (...), we must expect longer times for a complete recovery," he said.
Key points on Pope Francis' health
The Argentine is receiving oxygen and was diagnosed with renal failure on Sunday. His prognosis remains reserved, and the impact on his kidneys could lead to serious problems, although doctors have assured that there is no need to be alarmed. These are the key points of the renal failure that Pope Francis is experiencing.
Pope Francis "rested well all night"
Pope Francis, in critical condition after suffering double pneumonia, "rested well all night," the Vatican said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.
The Pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14 with a severe respiratory illness that has since triggered other health problems.
Maduro says Pope Francis has the "loving prayers" of Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term on January 10 after his controversial reelection, assured on Monday that Pope Francis has the "loving prayers" of Venezuela for his recovery, after being hospitalized for bronchitis with polymicrobial infection followed by bilateral pneumonia, reports Efe.
"Pope Francis knows that he has the loving, Christian, and profound prayers of the Venezuelan people. I sent him a letter four days ago expressing all our admiration," said the Chavista leader on his weekly television program. Maduro pointed out that the pontiff is the "ethical leader of humanity, loved by all religions, by all peoples of humanity."
Francis received the Eucharist on Monday morning and called Gaza
For over a year, Francis has been in daily contact via video calls with Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine priest who leads the Catholic community in that church, which served as a refuge for Palestinians during the war against Israel. Romanelli had reported speaking with Francis shortly after he was hospitalized but not since then. He had sent a video to the pontiff, and he called to thank him, the Vatican indicated.
The pope was in good spirits, had no pain, and was not receiving artificial nutrition, the Holy See added. The work he was doing included reading and signing documents, and in fact, the Vatican's daily noon bulletin has included new bishop appointments almost every day, although most were decided in advance.
"Seeing him suffer hurts," said Robert Pietro, a Romanian seminarian who was at the prayer in St. Peter's Square, holding a small scented candle in tribute. "But we also pray in gratitude for what he has done for the Church."
Roberto Allison, a priest from the Mexican state of Guadalajara, mentioned that members of his community had gathered to show their appreciation for "what we have learned from him."
Pausing to offer personal blessings to some at the end of the ceremony, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said that the diversity of the crowd -- many languages from around the world could be heard -- was "a great sign of comfort" for the Catholic Church.
Buenos Aires' 'plaza of the excluded' prays for Francis' health
Hundreds of Argentines gathered on Monday for a mass held in Plaza Constitución in Buenos Aires to pray for the health of Pope Francis, who was Archbishop of the Argentine capital and Primate Cardinal of the South American country until his election as Supreme Pontiff in March 2013, reports Efe.
"We celebrate this mass for the Pope's health in this square where more than once Francis, when he was Cardinal (Jorge Mario) Bergoglio, said that many turn a deaf ear and do not want to hear the cry, the shout of the victims of injustice and exclusion," said Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, during the celebration in front of those gathered on Monday in front of the Constitución train station.
The archbishop recalled that in that same square, Bergoglio, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, frequently celebrated masses and "raised his voice denouncing so much injustice, crying out alongside the poorest for better living conditions."
The Curia and the faithful pray for the Pope's health in St. Peter's Square
Cardinal and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin presided over the rosary prayer for Pope Francis' health in St. Peter's Square on Monday, alongside other members of the Curia and a few hundred faithful who attended despite the drizzle, reports Efe.
The event began with an introduction in which the cardinal recalled that the Bible, in the Acts of the Apostles, recounts that the Church "prayed intensely while Peter was imprisoned." "For two thousand years, the Christian people have prayed for the pope if he is in danger or sick. Also in these days, since the Holy Father was hospitalized, an intense prayer rises to the Lord for him from faithful and Christian communities around the world," he began.
From this afternoon, he proclaimed, "we also want to join, publicly, in this prayer, here in his home, with the recitation of the rosary." "We entrust him to the powerful intercession of Most Holy Mary, whom we invoke especially with the title of 'Salus infirmorum' (Health of the sick)," he said.