Pope Francis would be leading Sunday noon blessing from Rome’s Gemelli hospital as he recovers from intestinal surgery, the Vatican has announced.
Although the Pontiff has begun walking and working and no longer running a fever, his recuperation could take longer than the seven days initially anticipated.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni who made the announcement in a statement on Friday also said the Pope spent a quiet day with “normal clinical progress”, was eating regularly and continuing his scheduled treatment.
The Pope had part of his colon removed last Sunday,
This marks the first time since Pope Francis election in 2013 that he will not read the prayer from the Vatican, except for when he was away on trips.
However, it is not the first time a Pope would lead the prayer, known as the Angelus, from the hospital.
Pope John Paul II, who reigned from 1978 to 2005, was in the same hospital about 10 times and read the Sunday prayer from there, either from the window or with only audio when he was too ill to get out of bed.