Faithful at vigil in St. Peter's Square send best wishes to Pope Francis as he battles pneumonia

(25 Feb 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Vatican City - 24 February 2025 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of Saint Peter’s Square with faithful attending Rosary Prayer 2. Faithful holding phone showing photo of Pope Francis during prayer 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mariana Ibañez, faithful: “Well, I think it's a public manifestation of the love we have in the Holy Father, the respect that we have for all he does for us and the whole body of the church wherever they are, whether here in Rome or connected, (they) can pray and unite ourselves in praying for his health and for his ministry.” 4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung Sik, attendee: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++ “The pope is for all of us, so who can come, let’s pray together. Right now I received an SMS from (South) Korea where the time zone is 8 hours (in front of the Vatican) and he is praying. He is praying with us at 5am, they pray with us, together, for the Pope, for his intentions and for the peace in the world.” 5. Various of faithful 6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Friar Francesco, from Rome’s diocese: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++ “It is important to be close to Pope Francis, to pray for his health because we feel him close, we want him with us. He always guides us and he is always in our thoughts. So, our prayer tonight wants to be a prayer of the heart, to Mary that intercedes to the Lord and brings him (Pope Francis) between us.” 7. Close of rosary 8. Wide of Saint Peter’s Basilica STORYLINE: The Vatican No. 2 led faithful in a somber night-time prayer in St. Peter's Square on Monday as Pope Francis continued to battle pneumonia in both lungs at a hospital in Rome. It was a vigil that evoked others that were held in the same location including when St. John Paul II was dying in 2005. Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been hospitalized since Feb. 14 and doctors have said his condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. But in Monday's update, they said he hadn’t had any more respiratory crises since Saturday, and the supplemental oxygen he is using continued but with a slightly reduced oxygen flow and concentrations. The slight kidney insufficiency detected on Sunday was not causing alarm at the moment, doctors said, while saying his prognosis remained guarded. Francis received the Eucharist Monday morning and resumed working in the afternoon. At 10 full days, this hospitalization now stands as Francis' longest as pontiff. In 2021, he spent 10 days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...