On February 24, for the first time, Pope Francis officially received Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the Substitute of the Secretariat of State Msgr. Edgar Peña Parra, the Vatican press office announced on Tuesday.
According to the Vatican, in his apartment at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the pontiff went over canonization cases with these curial officials -- a rather unusual occurrence since it is usually the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints who has this prerogative.
The Pope convened a consistory to approve certain canonizations. It was during such a consistory that Benedict XVI announced his resignation on February 11, 2013.
Since his arrival at the Gemelli, the 88-year-old pontiff had so far only received his closest collaborators, according to the Vatican. Only one official visit had taken place: last Wednesday, the Pope received the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgio Meloni, who wished him a speedy recovery.
During the audience, the Holy See press release stated, the Pope decided to convene a consistory to approve canonizations. The date of this event has not been specified.
During a consistory, the cardinals gather around the pope. This announcement is therefore likely to revive questions about a possible announcement of Pope Francis' resignation.
Nothing has filtered out about any other exchanges between the pontiff and his two collaborators.
“Files to be approved continue to be submitted to the Pope,” a Vatican source said, adding that visits are very limited.
The Pope rested well
Yesterday evening, after his visit with the Holy Father, Cardinal Parolin led a Rosary with the cardinals present in Rome, and thousands of the faithful in St. Peter's Square.
This morning, the Vatican indicated that the Pope rested well throughout the night.
This came after a generally positive report from last evening.
Tuesday evening, the Philippine Cardinal Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will preside over the rosary in St. Peters, which is now set to be held every night at 9 pm, Rome time, for the health of the Pope, Bishop of Rome.
Follow the updates on the Pope's health here.
