Pope Francis’s condition remained stable but complex yesterday as he battles pneumonia in hospital, the Vatican said, a day after releasing an audio message in which the 88-year-old sounded weak and breathless.
The message broadcast to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Thursday evening was the first time the world had heard the Pope’s voice since he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14.
The Argentine Pontiff (pictured) has suffered several respiratory crises since his admission, most recently on Monday.
Amid increasingly lurid online speculation, fuelled by the absence of any photos of the Pope, the Holy See on Thursday released a short audio message recorded that day by Francis.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square. I accompany you from here,” the Pope said, sounding weak and taking laboured breaths. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
The Argentine spoke in his native Spanish, drawing speculation that he could not muster the strength to speak in Italian, which is used for official Vatican business.
However, a Vatican source insisted Francis wanted to speak in a language that would have a wider audience.
The Vatican press office said yesterday that the Pope’s status was “stable”, but he was still in a “complex clinical condition” so “the prognosis remains guarded”.
The Pope did a bit of work and some physiotherapy, but mostly rested and prayed, including spending around 20 minutes in the little chapel which is part of the hospital’s papal suite, it said.
He continues to switch between an oxygen mask at night and a cannula – a plastic tube tucking into the nostrils – delivering high-flow oxygen during the day.
When the message was broadcast in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica, where prayers have been held every evening for the Pope, applause broke out among the hundreds of pilgrims gathered there.
“We were very happy that he could speak,” said John Maloney, a 76-year-old English pilgrim visiting Rome for the 2025 Jubilee holy year celebrations.
“It’s a good sign that he’s actually able to speak,” he told AFP, adding: “He’s got a long way to go so he’s in the hands of God.”
However, for Claudia Bianchi, a 50-year-old Italian from Rome, “it struck me to hear him so tired”.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said it was Francis himself who wanted the message broadcast.
The Pope’s message was on the front page of many Italian newspapers, which reported that it was an attempt by the Vatican to battle disinformation about the Pontiff’s deterioration or even death.
They noted the weakness of his voice, with the Corriere della Sera daily describing it as “pained”.
In a bid for greater transparency, the Vatican has been publishing an update on how the Pope slept every morning, followed by a more detailed medical bulletin each evening.
During previous hospitalisations, the leader of the world’s 1.4bn Catholics appeared on the Gemelli balcony for his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer.
However, he has missed the last three, and no announcement has yet been made about whether he will make an appearance this weekend. – AFP
