Dozens of children holding yellow and white balloons gathered outside Rome's Gemelli hospital to greet Pope Francis on his fifth Sunday in hospital with double pneumonia.
Although the Pope did not emerge from the 10th-floor windows, he acknowledged their presence in the traditional Sunday blessing.
“I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to Gemelli as a sign of closeness,” the pontiff said in the text of the Angelus prayer prepared for the traditional prayer but no longer recited live on air.
“Thank you, dear children. The Pope loves you and always looks forward to meeting you,” Francis said.
The Rev. Enzo Fortunato, president of the Pontifical Committee for World Children's Day, which organized the event, said the meeting of children with their parents is a form of spiritual healing for the 88-year-old pontiff, calling it “the most beautiful caress.”
He added: “Children are a symbolic medicine for Pope Francis. When he knows that so many children are here for him, it makes his heart happy.”
A small group of children, whose balloons represented the colours of the Vatican flag, briefly stopped by the hospital to leave their drawings, messages and flowers for Francis.
Many of the children come from poor areas of Italy or from countries affected by war. Some arrived in Italy from Afghanistan and Syria through humanitarian corridors set up by the Sant'Egidio charity under an agreement with the Italian government. Others come from Ukraine, Gaza, South America and Africa.
One of them was 12-year-old Anastasia, who got up at 5 a.m. to set out from Naples in the hope of delivering a message directly to the Pope.
She said: “I wrote: 'Pope Francis, get well soon and come home soon. We love you, all the children are praying for you.'
Andrea Iacomini, UNICEF's representative in Italy, said that in addition to showing affection for the Pope, the group also wants to say “enough” to the conflicts that affect 500 million children in 59 countries.
“This pope is not just a religious leader, he is a great world leader,” he said. “A man of peace. This pope is the pope of the children.”
The pope typically recites the Angelus from a window overlooking St Peter's Square to a gathering of the faithful, whose numbers have swelled because of the jubilee year Francis opened in December.
In the written text, Francis said he was thinking of others who, like him, are in vulnerable situations.
“Our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope,” the Pope said.
In addition to stopping at St. Peter's Basilica, where an indulgence can be obtained by passing through the basilica's Holy Doors, pilgrims now also stop at Gemelli, a 15-minute train ride from the Vatican.
Doctors said this week that the pontiff was no longer in critical, life-threatening condition, but they continued to stress that his condition remains complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung when he was young.
They are issuing fewer health bulletins as the pontiff is on an upward trajectory. An X-ray this week confirmed that the infection is clearing up.
Francis has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis left him unable to speak. Doctors soon diagnosed him with double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection.
His first three weeks in hospital were marked by a series of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit.
In the latest medical report released on Saturday, doctors said they were working to reduce the dad's need to use a non-invasive ventilation mask at night, which would allow his lungs to work harder.
Doctors stressed that while the pope's condition is stable, he still needs to be in hospital for treatment and to undergo physical and respiratory therapy, which “are showing further gradual improvement,” the Vatican said Saturday in its first medical report in three days.
The Vatican said the next update would not be published until mid-next week.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
