ROME (AP) — The Vatican released the first photograph of the pope in over a month on Sunday, showing Francis co-celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel. The photograph was taken from behind and shows Pope Francis in a purple stole, seated in a wheelchair in front of an altar.
The Vatican indicated that the pope was participating in the celebration of the mass with other priests. There is no one else visible in the photo. It is the first photograph of the pope since he was hospitalized on February 14 due to a severe case of bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia.
It is also the first time that the Vatican has mentioned that the pope has participated in the celebration of a mass during this period.
Earlier on Sunday, dozens of children with yellow and white balloons —many from war-torn countrie — gathered in front of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to greet the pope on his fifth Sunday hospitalized for double pneumonia. Although the pope did not appear from the tenth-floor suite, he acknowledged their presence in the traditional Sunday blessing.
“I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here to Gemelli today as a sign of closeness,” declared the pontiff in the text of the Angelus prepared for the traditional prayer, but which was not delivered live again.
“Thank you, dear children! The Pope loves you and always looks forward to meeting you,” Francis said.
Reverend Fortunato, president of the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, who organized the event, indicated that the meeting of children with their parents was a form of spiritual medicine for the 88-year-old pontiff. He described it as “the most beautiful caress.”
“Children represent a symbolic medicine for Pope Francis,” observed Fortunato. “Letting him know that so many children are here for him gladdens the heart.”
A small group of children, whose balloons represented the colors of the Vatican flag, briefly entered the hospital to leave their drawings, messages, and flowers for Francisco. Many of the children came from poorer Italian districts or war-affected countries. Some had arrived in Italy from Afghanistan and Syria through humanitarian corridors established by the charity organization Sant’Egidio in agreement with the Italian government; others were from Ukraine, Gaza, South America, and Africa.
One of them was Anastasia, a 12-year-old, who got up at 5 a.m. to make the trip from Naples in the hope of delivering the message directly to the pope. “I wrote: ‘Pope Francis, get well and come home soon,’” she said. “‘We love you, all the children are praying for you.’”
Andrea Iacomini, spokesperson for UNICEF in Italy, expressed that in addition to showing affection for the pope, the group also wanted to say “stop” to the conflicts that are affecting 500 million children in 59 countries.
“This pope is not just a religious leader, he is a great global leader. A man of peace. This pope is the pope of the children,” stated Iacomini.
Francisco usually delivers the Angelus from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to the gathered faithful, whose numbers have grown due to the jubilee year that Francisco inaugurated in December.
In the written text, Francisco stated that he was thinking of others who, like him, are in a fragile state. “Our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can stop us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being there for one another, in faith, shining as signs of hope,” the pope remarked.
The pope is no longer in critical condition
Along with a stop in San Pedro to seek indulgences by walking through the Holy Door of the basilica, pilgrims are now also adding a stop at Gemelli, a 15-minute train ride from the Vatican.
This week, doctors reported that the pontiff was no longer in a critical and potentially life-threatening condition, but they have continued to emphasize that his condition remains complex due to his age, lack of mobility, and the loss of part of a lung when he was young.
Still, they are issuing fewer medical bulletins as the pontiff has been on an upward trajectory. An X-ray this week confirmed that the infection was decreasing.
Francisco has not been seen publicly since he was admitted to the hospital on February 14 following an episode of bronchitis that made it difficult for him to speak. Doctors soon added a diagnosis of double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection (bacterial, viral, and fungal).
The first three weeks of his hospitalization were marked by setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure, and a severe coughing fit.
In the most recent medical update on Saturday, the doctors stated that they were working to reduce the pope’s nighttime dependence on the non-invasive ventilation mask, which will allow his lungs to function more.
The doctors emphasized that, while the pope’s condition is stable, he still requires hospitalization for treatment along with physical and respiratory therapy, which are “showing additional gradual improvements,” the Vatican indicated on Saturday in the first medical update in three days.
The next update will not be issued until the middle of next week, the Vatican reported.