Vatican says Pope Francis will not conduct the customary Sunday prayer since he is in the hospital

The Vatican said that Pope Francis, who is in the hospital being treated for a respiratory tract illness, will not be leading his weekly prayer with pilgrims on Sunday.

The eighty-eight-year-old pope was brought to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday morning after battling bronchitis for almost a week.

“The medical staff prescribed complete rest to facilitate his recovery,” a statement issued late Saturday stated.

In light of additional microbiological findings, the pope’s Saturday treatment was “modified slightly,” according to the Vatican. “Today’s laboratory tests showed an improvement in some values.”

The pope will stay in the hospital for as long as it takes to treat him, the Vatican has previously stated.

“We will see how he reacts to treatment,” said Matteo Bruni, the Vatican’s communications office director. “I don’t have a precise date (for his release).”

According to the subsequent statement, Francis “did not show any fever” on Saturday during the day. It further said that after receiving Communion, which is a major component of Catholic devotion, the pope “alternating his rest between prayer and reading.”

Known for often treating the late Pope John Paul II throughout his lengthy pontificate, Gemelli Hospital is the largest in Rome and includes a dedicated room for treating popes.

In June 2023, Francis underwent surgery to treat an abdominal hernia, which required him to stay in Gemelli for nine days.

People gathered outside the hospital on Saturday to pray for Francis under a well-known monument of John Paul II.

When Giovanni Di Muro, an Italian, visited his kid in the hospital, he stated, “We found out yesterday morning, with sadness.” “We hope it’s nothing serious, and that everything will be fine.”

Francis, the pope since 2013, has experienced many bouts of influenza and other health issues in the last two years.

JD Vance received a stern reprimand from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday.

He suffered pleurisy as a young adult and had a portion of one lung removed. He has also been prone to lung infections lately.

Since the middle of December, Francis has been experiencing respiratory problems. He requested that aides read his prepared remarks during a number of his public appearances in January and February, begging off reading pronouncements.