Pope Francis increases physical therapy, condition remains ‘guarded,’ Vatican says

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Pope Francis has reportedly increased his physical therapy, despite his outlook remaining “guarded,” according to the Vatican. He underwent high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive ventilation at night during his third week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The Vatican added that the 88-year-old pontiff’s situation remains complex, even though he is stable.

Balloons featuring Pope Francis are attached to a statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Feb. 23, 2025. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Normally, Pope Francis would lead an Ash Wednesday mass at the Vatican to start Lent, but was unable to do so this year. This morning, he participated in the rite of the blessing of the Holy Ashes, and received the Eucharist. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis read the pope’s homily aloud at Rome’s Santa Sabrina Basilica, according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis waves from his popemobile after the weekly Angelus prayers at the Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Oct. 20, 2024. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty)

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Before reading the pope’s homily, De Donatis thanked the pontiff for “the offering of his prayer.” In his homily, the pope spoke of the significance of the ashes and the act of receiving them.

“We bow our heads in order to receive the ashes as if to look at ourselves and to look within ourselves. Indeed, the ashes help to remind us that our lives are fragile and insignificant: we are dust, from dust we were created, and to dust we shall return,” the homily read, according to the Vatican.

The pope also called for a “return to God with all of our hearts” in his homily, urging Catholics to “place Him at the center of our lives.”

Candles with the pictures of Pope Francis are the laid under the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Wednesday, Feb. 19, where the pontiff has been hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14.  (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

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While in the hospital, Pope Francis spoke with Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza. This comes just days after he mentioned the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in his first written message since his hospitalization. He urged prayers “for [those] martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and Kivu.”

Fox News’ Anne Butterworth contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.