Pope Francis’ recuperation from pneumonia continued on Tuesday, with the Vatican launching a nightly marathon of prayers from “his house” and allies cheering him on in the hopes that he would recover and return to leading the Catholic Church.

On Monday evening, doctors stated he was still in serious condition with double pneumonia, but that certain test findings had improved “slightly”. In the most cheerful post in days, they claimed he had begun work from his hospital room, phoning a parish in Gaza City with which he had maintained contact since the conflict began.
After nightfall, hundreds of faithful assembled in a rain-soaked, freezing St. Peter’s Square for the first evening Rosary recital. The prayer evoked the 2005 vigils held at the Apostolic Palace while St. John Paul II died, but many present were praying for Francis’ health.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, stood on the same podium where Francis typically presides and stated that since Francis was admitted to the hospital, people from all over the world had flooded in prayers for his recovery.

Parolin prayed that Francis “in this moment of illness and trial” would recover swiftly. “Starting this evening, we want to unite ourselves publicly to this prayer here, in his house,” he stated.
Since February 14, the Argentine pope has been in the hospital after having a portion of his lung removed when he was a young man. Due to his age, frailty, and pre-existing lung illness, doctors have described his health as touch-and-go.

According to Monday’s update, The flow and concentration of supplementary oxygen have slightly dropped and he hasn’t experienced any more respiratory crises since Saturday. According to experts, the little kidney insufficiency found on Sunday is not currently concerning, but his prognosis is still uncertain.

“To see him suffer hurts,” said Robert Pietro, a Romanian seminarian who stood at the prayer with a small, fragrant candle in tribute, “but we also pray in thanksgiving for what he has done for the Church.” Despite this, the atmosphere in the monumental square was largely sad, with many of the approximately 4,000 people in attendance realizing they might be in Rome for Francis’ last days. Crowds sat under umbrellas on folding chairs or stood by the vast colonnades as they praised the pontiff’s legacy.

According to Roberto Allison, a priest from the Mexican state of Guadalajara, his community has united to express gratitude for “all that we have learned from him.”
Stopping to deliver personal blessings to some at the end of the ceremony Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said that the diversity of the congregation, which included speakers of many different foreign languages, was “a big sign of comfort” for the Catholic Church.

After praying for the pope at the daily Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, two Chicago-based Catholic tourists who arrived with umbrellas well before the service began decided to come back to join in the prayers for the ailing pope. The fact that Francis would be spending his final days in Rome was “hard to process” for them, as it was for many others.
“It’s a historic moment even though no one knows the day and time,” says Edward Burjek.
Hatzumi Villanueva, a Peruvian, felt the same way. She was particularly fond of the last pope St. John Paul II, but Francis, the first Latin American pope, “draws a bit closer,” she said.

“We came to pray for the pope, that he may recover soon, for the great mission he’s sharing with his message of peace,” Villanueva added, praising his compassion for migrants.
Also, Francis’ papacy has prioritized environmental protection and a partial tolerance of LGBTQ+ rights.
For the ill pope, Romans, pilgrims, and even non-Catholics stated they were praying especially outside the Vatican.

“We are all sorry,” said Raniero Mancinelli, whose business outside the Vatican’s gates has made ceremonial garments for Francis and the two previous popes.
As Elisabetta Zumbo was ready to lead a group of thirty-four pilgrims from the northern Italian city of Piacenza, she carried a five-foot-long crucifix along a portion of the roadway that was closed off and led to St. Peter’s. She promised that her group would pray fervently for the pope despite the rain.

“There is a lot of emotion and a lot of sadness,” Zumbo told reporters.
Nearby, a couple from London visiting St. Peter’s with their kid stated that even though they’re not Catholic, they felt connected to the pontiff “being there in his home” in the monumental basilica.