EBN-Pope Francis is gradually getting better, but he needs to “relearn how to speak” after using high-flow oxygen therapy for a long time, which has obviously damaged his voice, according to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office.
He mentioned that after receiving oxygen therapy, Pope Francis, who is 88 years old, will need to relearn how to talk.
The head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, a cardinal, denied rumors that the pope was retiring, claiming that he was going back to his old ways.
“The Pope is in very good condition, but the high-flow oxygen dries out his voice, so he needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is the same as before,” Fernandez stated at the publication of a new book.
The Vatican only made public a short audio recording of the 88-year-old pope speaking on March 6 while he was in the hospital for five weeks due to double pneumonia. During that time, he was slurred, had shortness of breath, and was hard to understand.
The Pope’s condition remained stable, according to the Vatican’s most recent health update, which was released last Friday and included “slight improvements in breathing and mobility.”
He acknowledged that he had been getting oxygen through a little tube under his nose most of the time and had not utilized a ventilator to assist him breathe at night since last week.
When he will return to the Vatican is still unknown, and Fernandez stated he is unsure if he would take part in the Easter celebrations, which take place on April 20.
“He may return, but the doctors want to be 100 percent sure because he believes that with the time he has left, he wants to devote himself entirely to others, not to himself,” Fernandez stated.
When asked whether he believed Francis would step down, the cardinal responded, “I really don’t think so, no.”
