The Vatican on Sunday released the first photograph of the Pope in more than a month, showing Francis co-celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel.
The photograph is taken from behind, and shows Pope Francis wearing a purple stole sitting in a wheelchair in front of an altar.
Francis has not been seen publicly since he was admitted to the hospital Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis that made it difficult for him to speak. Doctors soon added a diagnosis of double pneumonia and a polymicrobial (bacterial, viral and fungal) infection.
The first three weeks of his hospitalization were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit.
Doctors this week said the pontiff was no longer in critical, life-threatening condition, but they have continued to emphasize that his condition remained complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.
Still, they are issuing fewer medical bulletins as the pontiff has been on an upward trajectory. An X-ray this week confirmed that the infection was clearing.
Doctors in the most recent medical update on Saturday said they were working to reduce the Pope’s nighttime reliance on the non-invasive ventilation mask, which will allow his lungs to work more.
Doctors underlined that while the Pope’s condition is stable, he still requires hospitalization for treatment along with physical and respiratory therapy, which are “showing further gradual improvements,” the Vatican said Saturday in the first medical update in three days.
The next update won’t be issued until mid-week, the Vatican said.
