Pope increases physical therapy as he marks start of Lent, Vatican says

Pope Francis has increased his physical therapy with his condition remaining stable on Wednesday, marking the start of Lent by receiving ashes on his forehead and calling the parish priest in Gaza, the Vatican said.

The pope suffered no respiratory crises during the day, receiving oxygen through a nasal tube as has been the case in recent days. He will resume the use of a non-invasive mechanical mask for the night.

Doctors treating the pope for double pneumonia underlined that his prognosis remained guarded due to the complex picture.

The 88-year-old, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, had two respiratory crises on Monday in a setback to his recovery.

He later set to work, which included a call to the Rev Gabriel Romanelli, the Argentine priest who is the parish priest of the Holy Family church in Gaza. It was the third time they have spoken since the pope was admitted to hospital on February 14.

The Catholic Church opened the solemn Lenten season leading to Easter on Wednesday without the participation of Francis.

A cardinal took the pope’s place leading a short penitential procession between two churches on the Aventine Hill, and opened an Ash Wednesday homily prepared for the pontiff with words of solidarity and thanks for Francis.

“We feel deeply united with him in this moment,” Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said. ”And we thank him for the offering of his prayer and his suffering for the good of the entire church in all the world.”

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and leads up to Easter on April 20. A cardinal has been designated to take Francis’ place at Vatican celebrations.

On Ash Wednesday, observant Catholics receive a sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads, a gesture that underscores human mortality.