AGENCY
vatican city, Feb 23
As he undergoes treatment for double pneumonia, Pope Francis on Sunday has asked Catholics to pray for him.
Unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person on Sunday, the Pope in a message said that he was “confidently continuing” his hospitalisation and “carrying on with the necessary treatment”.
On February 14, Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following severe respiratory illness.
Pope Francis’s message came after the Vatican revealed that his condition is “not out of danger”.
“In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” he wrote. “Thank you for this closeness…I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me,” he added.
The Vatican has been releasing the Pope’s daily statements as he had asked for openness about his health. On early Sunday, the statement said that he was “conscious but still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen”.
The statement added that he remained in critical condition with a complex lung infection.
However, a statement released on Saturday said that he continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair.
Meanwhile, with growing rumours that the Pope might step down due to his worsening health, speculation is rife on who will be the next Pope.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, and Cardinal Raymond Burke are among the few names circulating to be the likely successors. However, the Vatican has denied these rumours as “baseless”.
