The Vatican firmly rejected speculation about the possible resignation of Pope Francis. Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated that the topic was not even a topic of discussion with the Pope, stressing that his health is improving.
Pope Francis stated in a letter published in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that his debt disease "helped make the absurdity of the war clearer to him," while his deputy dismissed any suggestion of the Roman pontiff's resignation and talked about plans for an upcoming meeting with Britain's King Charles III.
In a letter from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where the 88-year-old pope has been receiving treatment since February 14 for pneumonia, Francis renewed his call for diplomacy and international organizations to "find new meaning and credibility."
"Human frailty has the power to make us more lucid about what lasts and what passes, what brings life and what kills," the letter reads.
Responding to a letter from the editor-in-chief of the paper, Lucan Fontana, Franja also called on him and all those in the media to "feel the full importance of the words spoken."
"They are never just words, they are facts that shape a person's environment. They can connect or separate, serve the truth or use it for other purposes," he added.
"We must disarm the words, to disarm the minds and disarm the Earth."
"Absolutely not"
The letter was released as Francis reported slight improvements in health and as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's unofficial second-in-command, dismissed any suggestion that the pope might resign.
"Absolutely not," Parolin told reporters Monday when asked if he and the pope had discussed resigning. Parolin visited the pope twice during his hospitalization, the last time on March 2, and said he found him in better condition than during his first visit on February 25.
Also today, Francis received a standing ovation from the Italian Senate, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greeted him and said "not only this chamber, but the entire Italian people wish the pope a full recovery, as soon as possible."
Francis now uses only ordinary supplemental oxygen delivered through a nasal tube, the press service of the Holy See said. Doctors are also trying to reduce the time he uses a non-invasive mechanical ventilator at night to "make his lungs work harder".
No information about leaving the hospital
Although this represents "small improvements", the Vatican has not yet given any information on when he might be released from the hospital.
On the other hand, Buckingham Palace announced that a meeting between King Charles III and Francis was scheduled for April 8 in the Vatican.
Such state visits are always closely organized with Parolin's office, suggesting the Holy See believed the pope would leave the hospital by then.
The events came after the Vatican released some details about the first photo of Francis, after his hospitalization. The picture, taken on Sunday from behind, shows Francis sitting in a wheelchair, in his private chapel, during prayer, without any medical aids.
Source: Beta
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