Faithful gather to support the Pope

The Catholics gathered to pray for the Pope’s health under the steps of the Basilica of San Pedro during a third night, since their doctors said that their condition showed a milder more improvement.

Nuns hanging accounts from Rosario, tourists and priests were among those who joined the soft enchantment of the Rosary in the Vatican.

They were directed by a cardinal with a scarlet skull cap that prayed for Pope Francis to be able to resume his duties as soon as possible.

Night meetings began on Monday after the health of the 88 -year -old player took a dramatic dip over the weekend. I was fighting for breathing and needed blood transfusions.

But the latest statements suggest that the Pope can sit in his chair, is eating normally and even doing what the Vatican calls “light work”: reading and signature of documents.

“It was a bit scary last weekend, but a little better now,” said Stacey, a Medicine student from Paris, to the BBC.

She attended prayers for the Pope for the second time.

“Francis is very popular among young people because he is really open, and in a world that became a little scary, he gives us high hopes.”

Xiomara de Panama said he was attracted to this particular Pope as “a good man.”

“Prayers always help, not only hang in the air,” he believes.

Leading the rosary from under a white canopy was Cardinal Battista Re.

He is the figure in the Vatican who would call a conclave, the closed meeting of the senior clergy that chooses a Pope, if Francis could not continue on the paper.

Despite the slight improvement, the Pope’s medical team is not yet giving prognosis.

He was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with double pneumonia and, according to the Vatican, a computerized tomography of his lungs shows a “normal evolution” that suggests that he is responding to treatment.

We are told that it still uses additional oxygen, but has not suffered more “respiratory crises.”

The tone of the Vatican officials has certainly relaxed a bit.

On Tuesday, the Pope’s condition was described as “stable”, which was new. For Wednesday night, there was a “mild improvement” and the update omitted to say “critical” for the first time.

Vatican’s officials warned that this did not mean that the Pope was out of the forest.

But with so little to continue, those who follow their condition are twisting every word, or missing the word, by meaning.

Inevitably, many have also wondered about the future.

The Pope was fragile even before this infection, so it has been speculated on whether he could give up.

The newspaper of the daily Nazionale is called the “flutter of the crows” on San Pedro, inevitable in the “sunset” of any papacy.

This time it is even stronger since Benedict XVI established a precedent and resigned in 2013, the first Pope to do so in six centuries.

Francis has said before that he would consider renouncing if he cannot carry out his duties.

“His instinct will be to continue all the time he can and be able to,” he believes Austen Ivereight, who was co -author of a book with Pope Francis.

“It has been shown that he does not care to be a weak and fragile pope; it can be a Pope in a wheelchair, or one that gets sick regularly and that is fine.”

Anyway, if his health forecast were so bad, says the author, “then the problem (of resignation) could arise.”

Even with Francis confined to the Gemelli hospital, the well -greased Vatican gears continue to turn. The functions of bureaucracy and the Pope have been signing some documents.

On Monday, its Secretary of State and another superior official visited.

Officially, the Pope signed documents, moving a list of candidates along the way to holiness.

But some question why they could not expect, given the fragility of the Pope, and they wonder what other plans were discussed at that meeting.

When Francis enters his 14th day in the hospital, pilgrims to Rome are already experiencing life without him. His weekly audience, or meeting, with the faithful was canceled for the second week.

“We really want to improve and continue the incredible work that has begun,” Mabi said.

She mentions the foreground of women in the Church in particular.

“He is a popular Pope and people want his work to continue.”

“We felt it, because we expected to meet the Pope today at an audience, we had tickets,” said Fr. Cristiano.

Around him, almost 100 Catholics in northern Italy gathered to begin to be processed down the street towards St Peter’s behind a large wooden crucifix.

“I’m not disappointed, I’m just worried about him,” said the priest. “Today the news is not so bad, but it is not so good either. So we must pray.”