Pope Francis rests in hospital as Vatican and Holy Year marches on without him

Pope Francis continues recovery from double pneumonia as Vatican operations proceed, emphasizing pro-life message and volunteer celebration.

Pope Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia on Saturday (March 8, 2025) as the Vatican machinery and Holy Year celebrations marched on without him, this weekend dedicated to the Catholic Church's volunteers.

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The Pope was continuing his respiratory and physical therapy after a quiet, restful night, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, entered his fourth week at Rome’s Gemelli hospital with his condition stabilized following a few bouts of acute respiratory crises.

In his absence, the Vatican's day-to-day operations continued, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrating Mass for a pro-life group in St. Peter's Basilica. At the start, Parolin delivered a message from the pope from the hospital on the need to protect life, from birth to natural death.

In the message, dated March 5 and addressed to the Movement for Life, which seeks to provide women with alternatives to abortion, Francis encouraged the faithful to promote pro-life activities not just for the unborn, but “for the elderly, no longer independent or the incurably ill.”

Later Saturday, another cardinal closely associated with The Pope papacy, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, presides over the nightly recitation of prayers for Francis. Czerny then returns on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Year Mass for volunteers that Francis was supposed to have celebrated.