The spiritual leader of Catholics, Pope Francis, shared an audio message for the first time since being hospitalized on February 14. The recorded message at the Roman hospital echoed in St. Peter’s Square for the first time in days, bringing hope to 1.4 billion Catholics awaiting good news. The fact that the Argentinian pope chose to speak in his native language instead of the common language of Italian drew attention. Pope Francis’ rough and weak voice resonated in St. Peter’s Square almost a month after being heard, bringing the sound of the Pope to 1.4 billion Catholics who had not heard his voice for weeks. In the message recorded in his native Spanish, Francis expressed gratitude for the prayers made for his health from the Square. He said, “I thank you from the depths of my heart for the prayers you have made for my health from the Square. I am accompanying you from here. May God bless you, and may Mary protect you. Thank you.”

THOUSANDS AWAITING NEWS

After the broadcast of the audio recording, a crowd of thousands applauded Pope Francis. The Vatican reported that the message was recorded early Thursday morning from the pope’s hospital suite. At the beginning of the night, people gathered at St. Peter’s Square to recite the rosary for Pope Francis, including Catholic pilgrims who had come to Rome for jubilee year celebrations.

SPOKE IN HIS NATIVE LANGUAGE

It was remarkable that the Argentinian pope chose to speak in his native language rather than the common language of Italian when addressing the crowd. At 88 years old, Pope, who had a part of his lung removed in his youth, is battling bilateral pneumonia. The Vatican announced at the beginning of the week that Francis had suffered two acute episodes of respiratory failure. Following these crises, the Pope was connected to a ventilator.

SHARING THE POPE’S IMAGE IS PROHIBITED

Pope Francis continues to remain isolated in his hospital suite in Rome. The Vatican has refused to share any photos of the Pope during this period. This has not prevented the circulation of fake images or the spread of conspiracy theories on social media; some posts even claimed that the Pope may have passed away. Some Vatican officials state that sharing images of a sick elderly man, especially the Pope, is inappropriate. A decree from 1996 specifically bans taking photographs or videos of the Pope in his sickbed or after his death.