Vatican work continues apace even with Pope Francis in hospital

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - While Pope Francis battles pneumonia in hospital, work at the Vatican, headquarters of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, continues apace.

Although certain doctrinal matters require the pope's direct attention, senior Catholic cardinals and other Vatican officials can make many of the daily decisions that govern the global Church.

The 70 or so departments and offices at the microstate in Rome also remain open as normal seven days into his hospital treatment - as has been usual throughout the tribulations of the pope's health during his nearly 12-year papacy.

Although this is Francis' fourth stay at Rome's Gemelli hospital as pope, it is potentially the 88-year-old pontiff's most serious health crisis yet. He was previously admitted in March 2023 for acute pneumonia, but recovered swiftly after receiving antibiotics. A nine-day stay in July 2021 was for a planned operation to treat diverticulitis.

As well as issuing the updates on the pope's condition, the Vatican press office is also publishing its usual daily bulletins with announcements of papal decisions, most of which were likely approved by Francis long before he was admitted to hospital with respiratory problems on February 14.

On Saturday, the pope's first full day in hospital, the press office announced that Francis had appointed the first woman to take on a role akin to being the governor of Vatican City. The pope had previously mentioned his plans and Raffaella Petrini will start the job in March.

The press office said on Tuesday that Francis had accepted the resignation of a bishop in Canada who has been named in a class-action lawsuit against the Church that alleges sexual assault. The bishop has denied any wrongdoing.

HOLY YEAR

Meanwhile top figures, including senior Catholic cardinals, are continuing their roles as usual and keeping up their travel plans.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Jesuit known as particularly close to Francis, left on Wednesday for a five-day visit to Lebanon. A senior reporter for the Vatican's official media outlet is travelling with him, and sending back reports focused on that country's continuing economic crisis.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, returned to Rome as scheduled on Wednesday from a visit to Burkina Faso.

The 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican expects to bring some 32 million tourists to Rome for the special celebration traditionally held every quarter of a century, is also carrying on.

Despite the cancellation of the pope's scheduled Holy Year events this weekend, thousands of pilgrims are still coming each day for visits to St. Peter's Basilica or the Vatican Museums.

"Hopefully, he will recover and be back here soon," said Alberto Tomagnon, an Italian tourist at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Francis is suffering from double pneumonia, a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

The pope's condition was stable and he had shown "slight improvement" in results from recent blood tests, the Vatican said in its latest medical statement on Wednesday evening.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Additional reporting by Gabriele Pileri; Editing by Alison Williams)