Pope in hospital. Visit of important hierarchs at the Gemelli Polyclinic

This was the first meeting with the Secretary of State , the second most important figure in the Vatican, since the beginning of the Pope's hospitalization.

On Monday evening, Cardinal Pietro Parolin led a rosary prayer for Francis' health in St. Peter's Square .

It was attended by about 30 cardinals, as well as numerous representatives of the clergy from the Vatican and Rome, and several hundred faithful.

Pope's Lent Message

On Tuesday, the Vatican released Pope Francis's Lent message.

"With the penitential sign of ashes on our heads, with faith and hope we begin the annual Lenten pilgrimage," Francis wrote.

Hope as a theme of the Pope's reflections is also the slogan of the Holy Year. Its motto is "Pilgrims of Hope".

The Pope stressed that it brings to mind the journey of the people of Israel to the Promised Land described in the Book of Exodus - "the difficult journey from slavery to freedom".

"We cannot commemorate the biblical exodus without thinking of the many brothers and sisters who today are fleeing poverty and violence, and are seeking a better life for themselves and their loved ones," he added.

As he noted, "here appears the first call to conversion , because we are all pilgrims in life, but each of us can ask ourselves: to what extent do I allow this state of affairs to become a challenge for me?"

SEE: Daily prayer for the Pope's health. "Hope against hope"

He encouraged us to reflect: "Am I truly on a journey, or am I paralyzed, static, full of fear and hopelessness, or comfortably settled in my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways of liberation from situations of sin and lack of dignity? "

According to the Pope, a "good Lenten exercise" would be to confront the concrete reality of the migrant or pilgrim and allow ourselves to be involved.

Francis also stressed the importance of walking together, explaining that Christians are called to journey together, "never as solitary travelers."

Francis appealed to the faithful

"Walking together means being weavers of unity," he emphasized. "It means moving forward hand in hand, without trampling or towering over others , without destructive jealousy or hypocrisy, without allowing anyone to fall behind or feel excluded," he wrote.

According to the Pope , Lent should be a time to verify whether in our lives, in families, in workplaces, parish or religious communities there is the capacity to walk together and "overcome the temptation to become rooted in our self-referentiality and to care only for our own needs."

SEE: Pope Francis breaks his silence. He addresses the faithful

“Do we have an attitude of hospitality, with concrete gestures, towards those who reach out to us and towards those who are far away? Do we make people feel part of the community or do we keep them on the margins?” Francis asked.

He appealed for conversion and hope , as well as for asking oneself the question: "Do I have the conviction that God forgives my sins? Or maybe I behave as if I could save myself?"

According to the Pope, believers should ask themselves : "Do I live concretely with hope, which helps me to interpret the events of history and spurs me to commit myself to justice, fraternity, care for our common home, ensuring that no one is left to their own devices?"

New information about the pope's health

Earlier on Tuesday , the Vatican provided new information on the health of the pope , who has been staying at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome for several days due to pneumonia.

The statement stressed that "Pope Francis rested well throughout the night."

SEE: Pope Francis in hospital. Latest news from the Vatican

On Monday evening, the medical bulletin reported that there had been a slight improvement in the Pope's critical condition.

Since Saturday, the Pope has not had another respiratory crisis due to bilateral pneumonia.

In addition, it was explained that oxygen therapy was continued , but with smaller doses of oxygen.

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