Sawt Falasteen - Pope appears out of danger, talk turns to return home

The 88-year-old head of the world Catholic Church has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs.

He has suffered several respiratory crises that sparked real fear for his life.

But after a week of steady improvements, the Holy See said on Monday his prognosis was no longer considered "reserved", or uncertain, meaning his life is no longer at imminent risk.

The pope's condition remains complex and he will require hospital treatment for "several more days", it added -- with the implication that after that, he could go home to the Vatican.

A Vatican source added later on Monday that Francis still had pneumonia but confirmed there was "no imminent danger" to his life.

On Tuesday, however, the same Vatican source denied reports that preparations were under way for Francis's return to the Santa Marta residence, indicating his discharge was not imminent.

Up until Monday at least, the pope had been switching from the oxygen mask he uses nightly to a cannula -- a plastic tube tucking into the nostrils -- which delivers high-flow oxygen.

Francis missed the start of the Lent religious period last week but there are hopes he might be able to participate in celebrations for Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar, which culminates on April 20.

- Prayers and meditation -

Simonetta Maronge, an employee of the Santa Marta, urged the pope to come home soon.

"May he return to Santa Marta soon. We love him deeply and Santa Marta is empty without him," she told AFP outside the Gemelli hospital.

The Vatican source said on Tuesday that the pope's spirits were "good".

The press office said he had that morning prayed in the private chapel next to the papal suite on the 10th floor of the hospital, and that he had taken part remotely in spiritual exercises -- prayers and meditation -- in the Vatican.

The Vatican has been giving twice-daily updates on the pope's health but these have been reduced since the pontiff's health improved and no formal bulletin was expected on Tuesday evening.

"The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy," the Vatican said in a statement on Monday evening.

"For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their reserved prognosis."

"Given the complexity of the pope’s clinical picture and the severe infection present at the time of hospitalisation, it will still be necessary to continue pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for several more days," it continued.

- Video games -

The pontiff has been doing some work off and on during his hospitalisation, making calls and having occasional visitors, according to the Vatican.

Several of the children being treated in Rome's Bambino Gesu hospital, which is also run by the Vatican, sent Francis messages and drawings offering other ideas for passing the time.

"Dear Pope, I suggest you get someone to give you a PlayStation," young Alex wrote, according to the artwork released by Bambino Gesu.

Pilgrims visiting Rome for the 2025 Jubilee holy year celebrations have been praying every night for the pope, while special services have been held in churches around the world.

"We are praying for the pope, for his recovery and that he will soon be with us, safe and well, so he can bless us all," Jose Ochoa, 69, from Mexico, told AFP at the Vatican.

Mimmo Laundando, an Italian pensioner praying outside the Gemelli hospital, added: "I am hopeful. I think there is really a need for a pope like Francis for all of us, for the whole world."

Laundando added that he had always dreamed of being the pontiff's chauffeur, adding: "Now I am here with the car with the idea that maybe if he needs to, I can drive him back."

Pope Francis will on Thursday mark 12 years as leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.

Despite his incipient recovery, his hospitalisation -- the longest and most serious of his papacy -- has revived questions about his future.

The Jesuit pontiff has always held open the possibility of resigning like his predecessor, the German Benedict XVI, although he also insisted he has no intention of quitting.

I.Matar--SF-PST