People join the recitation of the rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 25, 2025. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
Pope Francis continues to recover from double pneumonia, with the Vatican no longer describing his condition as "critical" for a second day.
The medical team for the 88-year-old pontiff would like to see more days of "clinical stability" before revising their guarded prognosis, according to a Vatican statement released at 6:55 p.m. local time on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Even so, tonight's report notes that the pontiff's clinical conditions are "improving" two-weeks after he entered Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14.
For the first time today, the pope's supplemental oxygen treatment alternated between high flow oxygen delivered through a nasal cannula and with a mask, which provides a lighter supply.
The pope continued to receive respiratory physiotherapy, both in the morning and the afternoon on Thursday.
Francis also prayed in the private chapel of his hospital suite, where he received the Eucharist, according to the medical bulletin.
Vatican sources say the pope is in good spirits and is moving around his hospital room and continuing to engage in work activities, primarily by reading and signing documents that he receives from his secretaries.
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Across the globe, special prayer services have been organized to pray for the pope's recovery — ranging from gatherings of thousands of Catholics here at the Vatican to eclectic interfaith services in remote corners of the world.
This weekend a Hindu cleric will lead a candlelight vigil in Nevada; in Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks that met with Francis during his visit there in 2015 have organized a special prayer ritual for his healing; and the American Jewish Committee has issued a call for prayer on the pontiff's behalf.
Outside of the Gemelli Hospital, a group of Mexican pilgrims gathered earlier today to recite the rosary and sing songs to Our Lay of Guadalupe
The Vatican organized nightly rosary service for the pope's health is set to continue this evening at 9 p.m. Tonight's service will mark the fourth evening in a row that cardinals and Roman curial officials have gathered alongside thousands of lay faithful to unite in prayer for the pope in St. Peter's Square.
This evening's service will be presided over by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome.
The National Catholic Reporter's Rome Bureau is made possible in part by the generosity of Joan and Bob McGrath.
Pope Francis blesses a newlywed couple expecting a child during his weekly general audience at the Vatican Feb. 12, 2025. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
