“It seems to me that there is no reason to speak of resignation,” Bagnasco, the former head of the Italian Episcopal Conference, told Rtl 102.5 radio.
“If the world has stopped to pray [for Francis], it’s a great thing: a chain of prayer has risen up to the Lord precisely for the Holy Father Francis in this very delicate moment.
“According to the medical bulletins, the pope’s health condition is improving slightly.
“We continue to pray that he will improve more and more, until his complete recovery and return to his ministry.”
The Vatican Press Office, via a medical bulletin, did indeed confirm that Pope Francis is in critical but stable condition as he battles pneumonia in a Rome hospital, it said Tuesday.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father remain critical, but stable,” it said.
“No acute respiratory episodes have occurred, and the hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable.”
The prognosis remains guarded after a new CAT scan, the bulletin added.
The Pope, it said, “had a scheduled CAT scan this evening for radiological monitoring of bilateral pneumonia”.
“The prognosis remains reserved.”
ANSA
