VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who is responding well to treatment for pneumonia, thanked his doctors and healthcare workers on Sunday as he missed delivering a fourth straight Angelus prayer in person. The 88-year-old, in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14, issued a written Angelus in which he thanked those who volunteer to help others in need, praising their "closeness and tenderness".
"I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart," he said. "We need this, the 'miracle of tenderness' which accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain," he said in the text published by the Vatican.
This hospitalisation has been more serious, however, with Francis suffering several respiratory crises, prompting fears the road to recovery would be long, or might force the elderly pontiff to resign. On Saturday, the Vatican said the pope appeared finally to be responding well to treatment and had seen "a gradual, slight improvement", marking several days without crises. Though the pope does not have a fever, his doctors want to see more positive results "in the coming days" before giving a prognosis, an evening medical bulletin said.
On Sunday morning he received Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and Edgar Pena Parra, a Venezuelan archbishop who is also a senior Vatican official. People who gathered in St Peter's Square on Sunday, where Francis would usually stand at a Vatican window to read the Angelus to crowds below, said his presence was sorely missed.
"He is a wonderful person who has given so much and I hope that he can return as soon as possible", said Diana Desiderio, who volunteers with the civil protection agency in Pescara. She and fellow volunteers are praying that Francis will "return to the window again and bring peace and serenity to everyone because we need it", she added. — AFP
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