38 days have gone by since February 14, when Pope Francis left the Vatican to be hospitalized at the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital.

These weeks have been challenging for an 88-year-old patient battling bilateral pneumonia. Medical reports did not downplay the severity of his condition, the crises he endured, or the complexity of his clinical picture.

Yet, throughout this time, he was surrounded by an outpouring of prayers for his recovery: personal prayers, the prayers of communities, rosaries and Eucharistic celebrations. They came not only from Catholics and Christians but also from people of other faiths and those without religious beliefs, who sent him good thoughts and well-wishes. It was for all these people in prayer that today’s brief greeting was wanted and shared.