Pope Francis is registering new slight improvements in his month-long treatment for pneumonia in both his lungs, the Vatican says.
The headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church has also provided some details on the first photo of the Pope released since his hospitalisation.
The 88-year-old pontiff is now able to spend some time during the day off high flows of oxygen and use just ordinary supplemental oxygen delivered by a nasal tube, the Holy See press office said.
Doctors are also trying to cut back on the amount of time he uses a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask at night, to force his lungs to work more.
While those amount to “slight improvements”, the Vatican isn’t yet providing any timetable on when Francis might be released from the Gemelli hospital or confirming any upcoming events. Known events include a planned visit by King Charles III and Holy Week in April.
When Francis is being wheeled to his private chapel down the hall from his hospital room, he doesn’t need to be attached to the oxygen, the press office said.
It was at that moment that Francis was photographed on Sunday, from behind, as he sat in his wheelchair before the chapel altar in prayer without any sign of nasal tubes.
The photo, showing Francis wearing a Lenten purple stole, marked the first image of the Pope since he was admitted to Gemelli February 14 with a complex lung infection that developed into double pneumonia.
It followed an audio message Francis recorded March 6 in which he thanked people for their prayers, his voice soft and laboured.
Together, they suggested Francis was very much controlling how the public follows his illness to prevent it from turning into a spectacle.
While many in the Vatican have held up St John Paul II’s long and public battle with Parkinson’s disease and other ailments as a humble sign of his willingness to show his frailties, others criticised it as excessive and glorifying sickness.
Francis’ doctors told reporters on February 21 that the Pope authorised them to clearly explain the gravity of his situation, in detail, and their regular medical bulletins have suggested that Francis is comfortable with such information being in the public domain.
The Vatican press office said on Monday that Francis approved the photo of him being released.
But the fact that his face was hidden suggested something of a compromise in terms of how he wanted his current state to be recorded visually.
The first three weeks of Francis’ hospitalisation were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit.
Over the past week, his condition has stabilised and doctors said he was no longer in imminent danger of death.
With gradual improvements, the Vatican has suspended morning updates and is issuing less frequent medical bulletins. The next one is not expected before Wednesday.