ROME – With Pope Francis remaining in critical condition fighting a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia, the cardinals and curial officials in Rome have organized a rosary and special Mass for the pontiff.
The Vicariate of Rome announced Monday that at 7 p.m. local time, the vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, will celebrate Mass for Pope Francis’s health at the Santa Maria Addolorata church in Buenos Aires square in Rome.
Reina, who celebrated a separate Mass for the pope’s health during a Feb. 23 Mass in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, will celebrate Monday’s Mass “in communion with the Argentinian community residing in Rome,” the statement said.
He has also invited all parish and religious communities to continue praying for Pope Francis, “so that his health is restored.”
After Monday’s Mass, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, will lead a rosary at 9 p.m. local time for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.
All cardinals residing in Rome and all curial officials and collaborators, and all collaborators and officials in the Diocese of Rome have been invited to attend the rosary to pray for the pope’s health.
In 2005, Pope John Paul II died while a rosary was being prayed for him in St. Peter’s Square, led by Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who at the time served as the sostituto, or substitute, of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, a position akin to a chief of staff.
On that occasion, the rosary also began at 9p.m. local time, and John Paul II died at 9:47p.m., with Sandri making the announcement publicly to those gathered in the square.
A medical bulletin published by the Vatican Sunday night said Pope Francis remained in “critical” condition after suffering “prolonged respiratory crisis” on Saturday, as well as an anemia that improved after he received two units of concentrated red blood cells.
The pope continues to suffer from thrombocytopenia, in which his blood platelet count is low, and continues to receive oxygen through his nose.
On Sunday doctors said he was also suffering from “initial, mild” signs of kidney failure, leading to concerns the pope could develop sepsis due to the nature of his complex infection he is fighting, and the large dose of medications he is receiving.
However, doctors said that the condition of his kidneys, for the time being, was “under control.”
In a Feb. 24 statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis “had a calm night,” that he slept well “and was resting,” but his prognosis remains unclear.
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for treatment of bronchitis and was later diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory infection with viral, bacterial and fungal elements, and he subsequently developed pneumonia in both lungs.
Doctors have said that the 88-year-old pontiff remains alert and aware, and is in “good humor” despite the severity of his condition.
Further information from the pope’s medical team on his current condition will be provided by the Vatican Monday evening.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen
