Europe

Home page

Europe

Pope Francis must relearn to speak after oxygen therapy, cardinal says

22 March 2025 00:58 (UTC +04:00)

Pope Francis is slowly regaining his strength in hospital but must "relearn to speak" after prolonged use of high-flow oxygen therapy, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez said on Friday, APA reports citing Reuters.

The cardinal, who is the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, dismissed speculation that the pontiff would retire and said he was returning to his old self.

"The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out. He needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before," Fernandez said at a presentation of a new book by Francis on poetry.

"He could return, but the doctors want to be 100% sure because he believes that with the little time he has left, he wants to dedicate himself entirely to others, not to himself," Fernandez said.

Asked if he thought Francis might step down, the cardinal said: "I really don't think so, no."