Vatican Radio technicians began setting up equipment Saturday for a potential live transmission from Pope John Paul II's room at Rome's Gemelli Catholic hospital, where the 84-year-old pontiff was receiving treatment for a respiratory infection that had hampered his breathing since his admission on Tuesday.
Spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said a decision on whether the pope would deliver his traditional Sunday Angelus address from his hospital bed would be announced later that day. The Rome diocese encouraged Catholics to gather in Saint Peter's Square, promising a connection to the hospital for the occasion.
Navarro-Valls indicated the pope was recovering steadily, noting he was eating regularly and had been seen with his usual morning cafe latte. The Vatican said no further health updates would come until noon Monday, a sign officials interpreted as encouraging.
The pope, who also suffers from Parkinson's disease, planned to follow a Saturday ceremony for Rome seminarians by television, with Archbishop Leonardo Sandri reading his prepared remarks in his place. Cardinal Camillo Ruini was set to represent him at Sunday's Angelus, which would highlight a pro-life campaign backed by Italian bishops.
Separately, roughly 100 Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant clergy gathered at the hospital Saturday to pray for his recovery, many of them in Rome for a meeting of the Saint Egidio movement.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in February 2005, in its own words.