Recovering Pope to Miss Jubilee of the Sick Service

The Vatican: Pope Francis will miss a service in Saint Peter’s Basilica on 6 April for the Jubilee of the Sick and the World of Health as he continues his recovery from bilateral pneumonia.

According to Ansa News Agency, Salvatore Fisichella, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, will preside over the service in the pope’s absence. The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff returned to the Casa Santa Marta residence inside the Vatican on Sunday after spending 38 days in Rome’s Gemelli hospital due to his illness.

The Vatican said on Friday that the pope’s condition has shown “slight improvements in respiratory and motor functions, as well as in his speech.”