Antonino Galofaro
modified to
10:45 a.m., March 31, 2023
Hospitalized since Wednesday, Pope Francis is under treatment for “infectious bronchitis”. The faithful of the Catholic Church are multiplying their prayers for the recovery of the 86-year-old sovereign pontiff.
A few faithful arrive at Saint-Louis-des-Français, in the heart of Rome, three days before the start of Holy Week. Their prayers naturally go to Pope Francis. The sovereign pontiff is currently being treated at the Gemelli hospital for “infectious bronchitis”. This would have allowed a “clear improvement” in his state of health, hospital staff said on Thursday.
“We were at his hearing and the fact of knowing that he was hospitalized in the process, that did something to us”, confide Inès and Jean-Baptiste in the church of Rome to Europe 1. “We hope that he will recover and we know his age, so it affects us all. At the moment, we are living with the pope this difficulty. We all hope that he will recover.”
Easter without the Pope
These Easter celebrations in Rome could be special. They could be celebrated in the absence of the pope. The faithful are taken aback. “Easter without the Pope. It’s true that it’s difficult to live an Easter week perhaps without him,” said Jean-Baptiste. “We’ll see how it goes,” adds Inès. “We hope that in this particular week when many Christians will be together around the faith will allow him to heal.” Daniel, for his part, believes that the pope “lives Holy Week in his own way, where he is, with all the Christians of the world”.
François will not be released from the hospital for a few days. He will therefore probably not be able to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.