By Salvatore Cernuzio
Pope Francis’ convalescence continues at his residence of Casa Santa Marta with his continued treatment, mobility and respiratory-related physiotherapy, especially for voice recovery, personal prayer, and concelebrating Mass in the residence’s chapel.
These were among the updates the Holy See Press Office provided to accredited journalists regarding the Pope’s health after he was discharged on Sunday, Mar 23, following 38 days of hospitalization in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital due to bilateral pneumonia.
After greeting 3,000 people from a balcony at the hospital and briefly stopping at Rome’s Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Pope Francis returned to his Vatican residence, Casa Santa Marta, where he began his period of recovery and rest.
The Pope’s period of convalescence and rest at his residence should be about “two months,” maintained Doctor Sergio Alfieri, the doctor overseeing the Pope’s hospitalization at Gemelli, and Dr. Luigi Carbone, his personal physician, at Saturday evening’s press conference at Gemelli Hospital.
Treatment, physical therapy, and oxygen administration
“The Pope,” the Holy See Press Office noted on Tuesday, “is following the convalescence plan as described by the doctors on Saturday.”
At the time, Doctors Alfieri and Carbone stated that the Holy Father must continue pharmacological treatment “for a long time, administered orally,” while undergoing full-time mobility and respiratory-related physiotherapy, continuing as he had done daily at the Gemelli.
The physicians also advised him to avoid meetings, whether individual or group, and to receive 24-hour medical assistance to provide for his needs, including oxygen therapy, and to address any possible emergencies. This care is being provided by the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of Vatican City and a medical team is always present with the Pope.
The Holy Father continues to receive oxygen therapy under the same conditions as during his hospitalization—high-flow oxygen through nasal cannulas at night, with a gradual reduction of oxygen therapy during the day.
Mass and work activities
As the Pope did at the hospital, where he had concelebrated Mass in the tenth-floor chapel, he now visits the chapel on the second floor of Santa Marta to concelebrate Mass.
Moreover, he continues with work activities, in accordance with the limited capacity previously mentioned. In fact, the Holy See Press Office’s noon bulletin announced the appointments of Archbishop Ignazio Ceffalia as Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus and Monsignor Francesco Ibba as Defender of the Bond at the Roman Rota Tribunal.
No precise details have been provided regarding the Pope’s schedule for the coming days, nor for future events such as the various Jubilee celebrations or Holy Week rites. As the doctors emphasized, his recovery is being closely monitored, and they are awaiting the “expected clinical improvements.”
The Holy See Press Office noted, “Some decisions are under consideration and will be made based on the improvements that occur in the coming week.”
Written catechesis for the General Audience
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Mar 26, the General Audience will not take place, just as it had not the previous weeks.
Instead, the prepared text of the Pope’s catechesis will, as it has been done throughout this month, be distributed in written form, as has been the case each Wednesday since Feb 14.
The same is likely to happen on Sunday for the Angelus, though updates are still awaited. At the moment, the expectation is that the Pope’s message will be released by the Holy See Press Office, similar to previous Sundays.
Pope Francis, the Press Office noted, is not receiving visitors at this time and has only seen his closest collaborators over the past two days. No plans have been announced regarding scheduled visits from Heads of State and government.
Doctor Sergio Alfieri’s reflections
Reports indicate that Pope Francis is happy to be home. Both Alfieri and Carbone have previously mentioned the good spirits the Pope regained once his health improved. The most dangerous phase of his illness has passed, and the most severe infections have been overcome, as confirmed in the Gemelli press conference.
During that conference, Dr Alfieri revealed that the Pope had faced two critical moments in which his life was at risk.
In an interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera today, Dr Alfieri recalled that the most serious moment occurred on the afternoon of February 28, when Francis’ condition worsened due to a bronchospasm crisis.
“For the first time,” he said, “I saw tears in the eyes of some of the people around him—people who, as I have come to understand during this hospitalization, truly love him as a father. We were all aware that the situation had deteriorated further and that there was a real risk he might not make it.”
“We had to decide,” he stated, “whether to stop and let him go or to push forward with all possible medications and therapies, despite the high risk of damaging other organs. In the end, we chose to fight,” the physician explained, adding that the final decision was made by the Pope himself.
Pope’s request to tell the truth
Pope Francis has insisted on being fully informed about his health from day one. “He asked us to tell him the truth, and he wanted the truth about his condition to be shared,” said Dr Alfieri.
Regarding the written updates to press on the Pope’s condition, Dr Alfieri stated that medical updates were conveyed to Pope Francis’ secretaries, who added further details before obtaining his approval.
“Nothing,” he said, “was ever altered or withheld. He has people around him who are like family, always by his side.” – Vatican News
