Pope Francis continues recovery while he continues from afar spiritual retreat from the Vatican

Pope Francis continues on Monday his recovery in the hospital, while the spiritual retirement of a week in which the Vatican curia participates continues.

The 88 -year -old pontiff receives treatment for bilateral pneumonia in the fourth week of his hospitalization, before the 12th anniversary of his choice, amid questions about how his papacy could be.

In its first bulletin on Monday, the Holy See reported that Francisco was resting after a quiet night. He has received high supplementary oxygen flows to help him breathe during the day and a non -invasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.

The Pope followed the opening of retirement by videoconference on Sunday: he could see and listen to Reverend Roberto Pasolini, preacher of the papal house, but the priests, bishops and cardinals in the auditorium of the Vatican could not see it or listen to it, according to press reports.

Pasolini offered a meditation on «The hope of eternal life», an issue that was chosen long before Francisco was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14 with a complex lung infection.

The retirement, an annual meeting that begins the Lent season of the Catholic Church that leads to Easter, will continue during the week. The Vatican has said that Francisco would participate «in spiritual communion» with the rest of the hierarchy, from afar.

At the time of his hospitalization last month, the Pope – who suffers chronic pulmonary disease and who was removed part of a lung when he was young-, had what was just a bad case of bronchitis. The infection progressed to a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia that has kept Francisco away from his activities during the longest period of his 12 -year -old papacy.

After several crises, it has remained in a stable condition for more than a week: without fever, respiratory crisis and with good levels of blood oxygen for several days, doctors reported.

The specialists indicated that such stability was something positive in itself and showed that it was responding well to therapy. However, they maintained their forecast as «reserved», which means that it is not out of danger. A medical part is expected later on Monday.

The Vatican will commemorate on Friday the 12th anniversary of Francisco’s election, the first with the Pope out of view but still very in command. Francisco was chosen as the 266th Pope, the first Jesuit Pope and the first in Latin America, on March 13, 2013 after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

On Sunday, Francisco met for the third time in the hospital with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the chief of Cabinet, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. These meetings are the usual way in which the Pope governs and shows that Francisco still remains aware of essential issues.

While Francisco has previously praised Benedict for his courage and humility in resigning, he has more recently indicated that he believes that Pope’s work is for life and said last year that he had no plans to resign.

(With information from Reuters and The Associated Press)

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