By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Mar 22, 2025 / 08:00 am
Pope Francis plans to make his first public appearance in over a month this Sunday when he will appear at a window of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to offer a blessing following the Angelus prayer, the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday.
However, the text of his Angelus reflection will be distributed in written form as it has been in recent weeks.
The 88-year-old pontiff, who has been receiving treatment at the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli since Feb. 14, will deliver a blessing in person on March 23.
According to the Holy See, Vatican Media will be present to record and distribute footage of the papal appearance, which marks a promising progression in the pope’s prolonged recovery.
The Sunday blessing will provide faithful followers their first glimpse of Pope Francis since a photo and brief audio recording were released shortly after his admission to the hospital.
Cardinal Fernandez speaks out
According to ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and a longtime friend of Pope Francis, revealed he had been in contact with the Holy Father.
The cardinal expressed contentment over the pope’s physical well-being, noting that “his general state of health is like before” his hospitalization.
The Argentine cardinal explained that while Pope Francis “finds it tiring to speak,” he will need rehabilitation since extended periods of high-flow oxygen treatment can cause dryness requiring patients to “learn to speak again.”
Continuing treatment
On Friday evening, the Vatican issued a medical bulletin reporting “further progress” in the pope’s condition. The statement indicated his medical situation remains stable, with slight improvements in his breathing and mobility. Both medicinal and physiotherapeutic treatments continue, and the pope has maintained a regimen of prayer and light work while not receiving visitors.
A significant development has been the gradual reduction in oxygen support. Pope Francis now forgoes mechanical ventilation with a mask during the night, instead receiving high-dose oxygen through a nasal cannula. His oxygen requirements have notably decreased during daytime hours as well.
