Pope Francis said in his latest Sunday prayer, issued from his hospital bed, that he faces a ‘period of trial’.
This is the fifth week in a row that the pontiff has had to issue the prayer as a written text as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
According to his medical team, the 88-year-old pontiff is no longer in critical condition, having been admitted to the facility with bronchitis on February 14, Sky News reported.
However his age and lack of mobility means that he remains in a physically vulnerable state.
In his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope added: ‘I am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me.
‘Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope.’
The Sunday Angelus is a traditional Catholic prayer, recited on Sundays, that recalls the Annunciation of the Incarnation – the day the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.
The prayer is usually delivered by the Pope from the window of his study overlooking St Peter’s Square every Sunday at midday.
Pope Francis, 88, said in his latest Sunday prayer, issued from his hospital bed, that he faces a ‘period of trial’
The ‘Angelus’ is traditionally issued from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square at The Vatican every Sunday. Pictured: Pope Francis on June 9, 2024, waving to faithful and pilgrims who have gathered for the traditional Sunday’s blessing at the end of the Angelus prayer
Nuns pray in front of a statue of John Paul II at the entrance of Gemelli hospital in Rome where Pope Francis is still hospitalized
However, due to the the pontiff’s ongoing health concerns, this week’s prayer was distributed from his hospital bed for the fifth consecutive Sunday.
Pope Francis also took time to pay thanks to the medical staff who have been treating him during his latest sickness.
He said: ‘How much light shines, in this sense, in hospitals and places of care!
‘How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!’
Recent reports have suggested an improvement in the state of the Pope’s health following his treatment for double pneumonia.
The Argentina-born religious figurehead has chronic lung disease and still requires hospital care, but is in a ‘stable’ condition and showing ‘gradual improvements,’ Vatican News reported.
A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office yesterday evening said: ‘The clinical condition of the Holy Father remains stable, confirming the progress observed in the past week.
‘High-flow oxygen therapy continues, progressively reducing the need for non-invasive mechanical ventilation during the night.
Pope Francis speaks with then Prince Charles on the day of the canonisation of 19th-century British cardinal John Henry Newman at the Vatican on October 13, 2019
A new statement issued by the Holy See Press Office yesterday evening said the pontiff’s condition ‘remains stable’ and showed signs of ‘gradual improvements’
However the Pope has chronic lung disease and still requires hospital care at present, with his age and lack of mobility increasing his vulnerability
A general view of St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican at dusk ahead of the evening rosary prayer service for the health of Pope Francis yesterday
Copies of Pope Francis’ autobiography are displayed at a bookshop in Seoul on March 16, 2025
‘These therapies are currently showing further, gradual improvements.’
Francis has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.
He has not been seen in public since entering hospital and his doctors have not said how long the treatment might last.
Doctors not involved in Francis’s care have said the Pope is likely to face a long, fraught road to recovery, given his age and other factors.
The pontiff was initially hospitalized on Valentine’s Day for a bad case of bronchitis.
The infection then progressed into a complex respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia that has sidelined the Pope for the longest period of his 12-year papacy.
Pope Francis, who is well-known as a controversial advocate for social justice, also sent words of hope to nations around the world beset by military conflict.
The pontiff offered prayers to ‘countries wounded by war…tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.’
