Pope, from hospital, thanks people for their prayers

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- From his room on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli hospital, Pope Francis thanked everyone who is praying for his recovery and asked people to pray for all the health care professionals at the Gemelli.

Following his doctor's orders for complete rest, the 88-year-old Pope Francis sent a short text to be published Feb. 16 in place of the address he usually gives to visitors joining him to pray the Angelus at midday on Sundays.

Although the pope's text was not read to the people in St. Peter's Square, hundreds had gathered there just in case. Vatican News reported that at least 50 people had gathered outside the Gemelli hospital, too, hoping the pope would lead the Angelus from there or at least come to the window to wave.

Pope Francis was admitted to the Gemelli hospital Feb. 14 after more than a week of suffering from bronchitis and difficulty breathing. He was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection.

In his Angelus message, the pope apologized to people attending the Jubilee for Artists and the World of Culture, who had been hoping for an audience with him Feb. 15 and Mass with him Feb. 16. Instead, the Mass was celebrated by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, who read the homily the pope had prepared for the occasion.

"I would have liked to be among you but, as you know, I am here at the Gemelli hospital because I still need some treatment for my bronchitis," the pope wrote in his Angelus message.

"Thank you for the affection, prayer and closeness with which you are accompanying me in these days," his message said, "and I would like to thank the doctors and health care workers in this hospital for their care: they do such a valuable and tiring job, let us support them with prayer!"

Pope Francis, as he usually does at his Angelus address, also asked people to pray for peace and specifically mentioned "Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and all the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu (in Congo) and Sudan."

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that the pope had a second restful night in the hospital and woke up, ate breakfast and was reading newspapers.

How long the pope will remain at Gemelli depends on how he reacts to treatment, Bruni had said a day earlier.