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While the text of Pope Francis' Sunday Angelus reflection will be distributed as in previous Sundays, on March 23, the Holy Father "intends to appear at his window ... to greet the faithful and impart his blessing," the Vatican announced today.
This will be the first public appearance for the Pope since he was admitted to the hospital on February 14.
On Friday evening, the Holy See Press Office released the following update on Pope Francis’ health:
“At night, he no longer uses mechanical ventilation with a mask but receives high-flow oxygenation through nasal cannulas, and during the day, he increasingly uses less high-flow oxygen.”
Later on Saturday evening, there will be a press conference with the Pope's doctors, only the second to be held since he was admitted.
Muscles out of practice
Meanwhile, the Pope's friend and crucial collaborator as head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, told journalists on Friday that the Holy Father is "very well physically,” but must now “re-learn to speak.”
The cardinal, who ruled out a possible resignation by his Argentine compatriot, said that Francis initially "did not want to go to the hospital." He said that the 88-year-old pontiff, who has been fighting a respiratory infection at the Gemelli Polyclinic for five weeks, will not be able to celebrate Easter in public.
The cardinal was present for the presentation of a book by Jesuit Antonio Spadaro on Pope Francis' use of poetry.
The Argentine cardinal, a long-time friend of the Pontiff, told the press he had had opportunities to be in contact with the Pope -- without, however, visiting him physically, as the doctors have asked -- and that he had found him “very well.”
However, he said that Francis had difficulty expressing himself because of the “time spent with high-flow oxygen” and that he would therefore need time to “learn to speak again.” He will have to undergo therapy to recover his voice and to work on his muscles, which have been inactive for a long time, he explained. But these physical limitations do not, in his opinion, call into question the continuation of his pontificate.
According to a Vatican source, the Pontiff's difficulty in speaking could be alleviated by the reduction in his need for oxygen. “Respiratory physiotherapy is also used for this purpose,” the same source said.
In any case, Pope Francis is “able to say a lot without long speeches,” insisted the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. He reflected that the Pontiff has often provided essential keys to interpreting certain difficult topics with “a sentence that expresses everything.”
Doubts on public Easter liturgies
Asked about a discharge date from hospital, Cardinal Fernández said that the Pope “could return home” in a few days but that “the doctors want to be 100% sure and prefer to wait a little longer.”
This situation is a challenge for the Pope, the cardinal claimed, saying that the Bishop of Rome "wants to exert himself fully and does not want to use the time he has left to heal himself."
The cardinal acknowledged that he doubts that the Pope will be able to preside over Easter celebrations. Holy Week is in less than a month, from April 13 to 20.
“Decisions are being made on possible delegates of the pope” for the long and complex liturgical celebrations, a Vatican source said.
Pope Francis “did not want to go to the hospital,” continued the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, explaining that “very close friends” -- prefects and priests from his entourage -- had finally convinced him to go -- some by threatening him and using “bad words,” he joked.
“He is an old-fashioned Jesuit [...] who has immense strength, an ability to sacrifice, to find meaning in these dark moments,” he emphasized.
A ‘new stage’ of the pontificate
For the Argentine cardinal, a “new stage” of the pontificate will begin when the Pope leaves the hospital. “He is a man of surprises, who will certainly have learned many things during this month,” he said, considering that this “difficult moment [...] will be a fruitful moment for the world, for the Church.”
Asked about the possibility of Pope Francis resigning, Cardinal Fernández was skeptical. “I don't believe it, I really don't believe it,” he said.
“The Pope is recovering,” added Mgr. Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for the Secretariat of State, when questioned by journalists on the sidelines of the conference.
The Holy Father has already alluded to the "many things" he's learned in the time of weakness. In his Angelus message of March 2, he said:
I feel in my heart the “blessing” that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord; at the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.
In John Paul II's steps
Pope Francis will not be the first pope to appear from the 10th-floor window of the papal apartment at the Gemelli Polyclinic. Before him, Pope John Paul II blessed the faithful several times during the 159 days he spent at the Roman hospital during his pontificate. Today a massive statue of the Polish Pontiff dominates the hospital complex's central square.
In total, John Paul II was in his hospital room for the Marian prayer 22 times, but he appeared at the window only four times. The first time was on July 26, 1992, at the end of his hospitalization for a colon tumor. He then appeared on February 27, March 6, and March 13, 2005, during his final hospitalization. Admitted for breathing difficulties, he had to undergo a tracheotomy — which did not prevent him from saying a few words of blessing.
Find updates on the Pope's health here.
