Pope stable, resting in hospital; skips Sunday noon blessing again

Francis had no further episodes of bronchial spasms, the Vatican said in its late update

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Pope Francis was in stable condition and resting on Sunday as he continued his recovery from double pneumonia, but again skipped his weekly noon blessing to avoid even a brief public appearance.

For the third weekend in a row, Francis cancelled the appointment delivering the Angelus prayer. He could have delivered it from his 10th floor hospital suite at the Gemelli hospital if he were well enough.

Instead, the Vatican planned to distribute the prepared text as Francis continued his recovery.

The night was quiet, the pope is still resting, the Vatican said in its Sunday update.

He had no fever or signs of elevated white blood cells, which would signal his body was still fighting an infection.

Doctors on Saturday reported that Francis was in stable condition, with no mention of him being critical, and signalled once again continued improvement. Their upbeat assessment came a day after a respiratory crisis that resulted in him being put on noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

The 88-year-old pope though had a good response in his gas exchange levels even during the long periods he was off the ventilator mask and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said.

The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both lungs.

The fact that Francis was able to use just high-flow oxygen for long periods, without any significant effect on the levels of oxygen in his blood, was a sign his respiratory function was improving.

Doctors were cautious however and kept his prognosis as guarded, meaning he wasn't out of danger. He was eating and drinking and continued his respiratory physiotherapy, and spent 20 minutes in his private chapel down the hall on Saturday, the Vatican said.

Prayers continued to pour in  Francis' hospitalisation has come as the Vatican is marking its Holy Year, drawing pilgrims to Rome from all over.

They are walking through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica and also making pilgrimages to the hilltop Umbrian town of Assisi, to pray at the home of Francis' namesake, St. Francis.

Every day we're praying for the pope, said the Rev. Jacinto Bento, a priest visiting Assisi on Saturday with a group of 30 Jubilee pilgrims from the Azores Islands. We're very sad for his situation.

In an odd coincidence, Francis was supposed to have presided on Saturday over a Holy Year audience in the Vatican's auditorium for the staff of the Gemelli hospital and other healthcare workers. They came as planned and completed the pilgrimage, while Francis continued his recovery at the hospital.

We thought we would be able to meet him this morning in Paul VI Hall for the Jubilee Catechesis, but he surprised us by coming to us, said Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori, spiritual guide of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, of which Gemelli is a part.

Giovanni Frisullo, a Gemelli neurologist, said the atmosphere at Gemelli was one of tension and prayer. There is a situation of waiting but also of hope, he said.