Rome.- He papa Francisco continues to improve from his respiratory problems, but your hospitalization will still be long and after discharge he will have to remain in his residence for a long period of convalescence, Santa Marta House, so in the Vaticano A "plan B" is being considered for the upcoming Easter celebrations.
The Holy See press office has stated that for the moment nothing has been decided and that the speculations that have appeared in the media these days about how the rites of the Vatican Holy Week "they are just hypotheses."
The bilateral pneumonia that keeps Francisco admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome Since February 14, it has been "under control," although "not yet eliminated." Nighttime mechanical ventilation is no longer necessary, and the next medical report will not be published until next week.
A gradual but slow improvement doesn't suggest a quick hospital discharge. In 2023, the Argentine pontiff presided over all Holy Week ceremonies the day after leaving the hospital due to bronchitis, but that won't be the case this time.
Plan B
Therefore, A possible 'plan B' has already been studied in the Vatican., as a hypothesis, which could include, if necessary, the celebration of Holy Week rites without the Pope, given that it is the most intense period of celebrations for the Catholic Church.
The events will begin on April 13 with the Palm Sunday Mass., while the Vatican Holy Week - from April 17 to 21 - begins with Holy Thursday, when there are two Masses, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and the washing of the feet, an act in which Francis used to go to a Roman prison.
While the Good Friday There are two other celebrations, including the Via Crucis at the Colosseum in the afternoon, and on Holy Saturday the Vigil is celebrated, a ceremony lasting more than three hours.
And there is also the Easter Mass on Easter Sunday, which culminates with the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the Loggia of Blessings in St. Peter's Basilica.
According to the alternative plan published by some media outlets, some cardinals have been identified to celebrate the rites in the Pope's name, a bit like what happened in 2005, in the final period of John Paul II's life, when, already very ill with Parkinson's, the task was entrusted to his closest collaborators. Karol Wojtyla appeared alone on Easter Sunday from the window of his study, but was unable to speak.
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The system of delegating to the cardinals is already being used in the Masses planned for the Jubilee and also in the celebration of Ash Wednesday, when the Apostolic Penitentiary, Angelo De Donatis, celebrated.
During Holy Week in the year Wojtyla died, each cardinal delegated by the Pope read a greeting from St. John Paul II and delivered his own homily, while the then Secretary of State, Angelo Sodano, celebrated Mass in the square on Easter Sunday and read the Urbi et Orbi message.
This time, the Pope may already be recovering by then, so a way would be considered for him to be present at some important moments without participating in the long ceremonies, such as through video messages or direct connections from the chapel in his residence.
According to some speculations, which the Vatican has dismissed as hypotheses, Francis will entrust the task of celebrating in his name to some cardinals, such as the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.; the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re; the vicar of Rome, Bado Reina or De Donatis.
While Secretary of State Parolin, as in 2005, would also be in charge of reading the Urbi et Orbi message on his behalf, which includes references to the crises and wars facing the world, although he will not do so from the balcony of the basilica because that is a place reserved only for popes.
