Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital and is still in critical condition, met with the Vatican Secretary of State to approve decrees for the declaration of new saints and to convene an official meeting to set dates for their canonization, the Associated Press reported, citing a Vatican statement, BTA reported.
The audience held yesterday showed that the Vatican continues to operate like a well-oiled machine, although doctors' forecasts for the 88-year-old Francis are cautious.
In its midday statement today, the Vatican announced that the Pope approved decrees for the declaration of beatification of five people and the canonization of two others during the visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra – the so-called "deputies" or chiefs of staff. He has also discussed several appointments with them.
This was the pope's first meeting with Parolin (who is essentially the Vatican's prime minister) since he was hospitalized 12 years ago. The only other outsider known to have visited Pope Francis is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who visited him on February 19.
This morning, the Vatican said the pope "slept well throughout the night." Last night, doctors said he remained in critical condition with bilateral pneumonia, but said there had been a "slight improvement" in his lab results. They said the "mild renal failure" reported over the weekend was not a cause for concern.
In its most upbeat statement in days, the Vatican said Pope Francis had resumed work from his hospital room and had called a parish priest in Gaza City with whom he has been in contact since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.