Pope Francis continues to work from the hospital

VATICAN CITY.- During the twelve days he has been hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia and other complications, Pope Francis , 88, has hardly stopped working. He barely felt better after the respiratory crisis he suffered last Saturday, he received the two high-ranking Vatican officials , signed appointments, decrees of beatification... all so that the Vatican machine does not stop.

According to the Vatican Constitution, the Pope cannot be replaced. Only he can sign documents, laws or make appointments.

For the upcoming #Lent , enriched by the grace of the Jubilee Year, I wish to offer you some reflections on what it means to walk together in hope and to discover the call to conversion that God's mercy addresses to us. @vaticanIHD_ES https://t.co/fefS2Twc2h

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 25, 2025

And when a person dies, all offices expire, except those of the cardinal dean, the camerlengo, the cardinal coordinator of the Council for Economic Affairs, the master of ceremonies, the secretary of the College of Cardinals and the substitute of the Secretariat of State, for administrative affairs.

But Pope Francis, despite being in a “critical” condition and with a “reserved prognosis,” although with a slight improvement in recent hours, has not stopped working with the publication of the Angelus or other documents, but also with the appointment of bishops or decrees for beatifications or canonizations.

Until now, it was his secretaries who travelled back and forth between the Vatican and the apartment reserved for the pontiff on the tenth floor of the Gemelli hospital, which in the time of John Paul II was called 'Vatican 3' because of his ten hospitalisations.

Vatican sources say the Holy Father is still on oxygen, although with less oxygen, and that he can sit in an armchair to read the newspapers, a habit he has always had, and to do a little work.

On Monday, with total discretion, the Vatican's Secretary of State, the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin , and the substitute for the affairs of the Secretary of State, the Venezuelan Edgar Peña Parra , went to visit him at Gemelli.

The reason for the visit was the signing of several decrees of beatification , including the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros , who will thus become the first saint of Venezuela. And although no other reasons for the meeting have been disclosed, other Vatican issues were certainly discussed.

The Pope has also announced his intention to call a consistory in the Vatican soon to set a date for the canonization of new saints in 2025 and has modified some fundamental laws to give more powers to the first female "governor" of the Vatican State , Sister Raffaella Petrini .

Parolin and Peña Parra's visit was the second that the Bishop of Rome received in these twelve days, after that of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni , since the doctors had prescribed absolute rest.

In the meantime, he has appointed five new bishops (in Brazil and Canada) and promoted two priests he trusts as general secretaries of the Vatican Governorate, Don Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi .

But even though he was unable to celebrate them in person, he also sent two messages for the Angelus prayers on Sunday.

“For my part, I am confidently continuing my hospitalisation at the Gemelli Polyclinic, following the necessary treatments; and rest is also part of the therapy!” wrote the successor of Peter in his message last Sunday.

“I sincerely thank the doctors and medical staff of this hospital for the care they are showing me and for the dedication with which they carry out their service among the sick,” added the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, who thanked “the many messages of affection and I was particularly impressed by the letters and drawings from the children.”

The latest communication from the Vatican is that Pope Francis' health condition is the same as last night, he has not suffered any further respiratory crises, he continues treatment and can get up. They also specified that the Holy Father, as detailed in medical reports, has not taken painkillers.

The Vatican previously reported that Pope Francis had rested well all night, after the latest medical report said he had experienced a “slight improvement” and that the kidney failure he had been diagnosed with “is not worrying.”

"He woke up after having slept well all night and is continuing with his usual therapy of these days," added the sources, so "he has not had any other respiratory crisis."— (By Cristina Cabrejas ).

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