Pope Francis releases an audio message, and it looks weak three weeks after he was in the hospital with pneumonia

Rome – voice Pope Francis He heard by the public on Thursday night for the first time since he was hospitalized three weeks ago. The message was recorded from the 88 -year -old Pope’s room at Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, according to the Vatican.

“Thank you from the depths of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square,” Francis said in the letter that I played for those who were praying for him in Saint Peter Square in the Vatican.

Francis was able to speak to record the message was a fan, but his fragility could be heard in the recording. Francis’s voice looked weak and outlet.

The Pope was accepted on February 14 with a bad condition of bronchitis that moved to bilateral pneumonia, or pneumonia in both lungs. This will be a dangerous diagnosis for anyone, but especially for a person from the Pope’s era – and even more than that for a man who removed part of the lung due to respiratory inflammation when he was a young man in his country of origin in Argentina.

In a clear setback, the Vatican said that Francis suffered Two episodes of severe respiratory failure on monday. At one point, doctors were forced to intervene by exuding mucus from their airspace. It has alternated between high flow oxygen and mechanical ventilation since then, and according to Vatican updates twice a day, resting well.

Francis was determined to share an unprecedented level of details when it comes to his health, as it contradicts the centuries of the secrecy surrounding the Zubin as they approached the end of their lives – as well as the ancient Italian proverb that “the Pope always dies until he dies.”

The Vatican said again on Friday morning that the case of Francis was stable, but that his diagnosis remained “guard”, and this means that he is still in danger.

The Pope was able to undergo physical therapy, whether in the form of breathing exercises or its movement. The Vatican has constantly reported his ability to get out of the bed, sit on a chair, read daily newspapers and make many of his official duties from his room in the hospital.

Several times during this hospitalization-which was the tallest of the four during its papacy-the Vatican commented on the Pope to make phone calls to the Catholic community in the war of the war. He spoke regularly with the parish there since the war arose on October 7, 2023, a terrorist attack on Israel.

For three days, Sunday, in a row, the Pope was absent from the appearance of Angeles in Saint Peter Square. His voice message came a day after the ashes on Wednesday, which represents the beginning of the Lenten season leading to Easter.

For two weeks, he leads the Cardinate night recitations to pray for the sick Pope. Vatican sources told CBS News that it is too early to determine when Francis may be discharged from the hospital.

The Vatican announced weeks ago that Francis would not celebrate the Easter Mass this year in the Church of St. Peter this year, due to his continuous recovery.

Chris Livay

Chris Livay is a foreign correspondent for CBS News in Rome.