On Saturday, February 22, the Vatican said said Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, will not appear in public on Sunday to lead his usual prayer with pilgrims for a second consecutive week.
Recall that Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulty in breathing for several days.
His medical team has given mixed signals about his health, telling reporters on Friday that while he was not out of danger, he did not have a life-threatening condition at present.
The Vatican issued a brief statement on Saturday, saying that the pope had rested well overnight.
However, unlike the previous two days, it made no mention of whether he had got up or had breakfast.
The Holy See press office later said that the text of the Sunday Angelus prayer would be published rather than read out.
This is said to be the first time the 88-years-old pontiff has missed two consecutive Angelus prayers over health reasons.
After undergoing intestinal surgery in 2021, he led the Angelus just one week later, and skipped one public Sunday prayer in 2023 after another operation.
Daily Post reports that double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
