Pope Francis will not lead Sunday prayers for a second week, Vatican says

Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, will not appear in public on Sunday to lead his usual prayer with pilgrims for a second consecutive week, the Vatican said.

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulty in breathing for several days.

His medical team has given mixed signals about his health, telling reporters on Friday that while he was not out of danger, he did not have a life-threatening condition at present.

The Vatican issued a brief statement on Saturday to say the pope had "rested well" overnight. However, unlike the previous two days, it made no mention of whether he had got up or had breakfast.

The Holy See press office later said that the text of the Sunday Angelus prayer would be published rather than read out.

It is believed to be the first time he has missed two consecutive Angelus prayers for health reasons. After undergoing intestinal surgery in 2021, he led the Angelus just one week later, and skipped one public Sunday prayer in 2023 after another operation.

The Vatican has not released any photographs of the 88-year-old pope since he was admitted to hospital earlier this month for privacy reasons, his doctors have said.

Reuters