Vatican Says Pope Feeling Better

Pope John Paul II is recovering without complications and has started therapy to improve his breathing and speaking, the Vatican said Monday, a day after the pope surprised the faithful with a brief appearance in a hospital window.

The Holy See said the 84-year-old pope has been eating regularly and spending some time sitting in an armchair. But it gave no hint of when the pope would leave Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital, an indication that doctors see the need for an extended stay.

"The Holy Father's postoperative phase is taking place without complications. His general condition and biological parameters continue to be good," the Vatican communique said. "The Holy Father is eating regularly, spends some hours in an armchair and has begun exercises to rehabilitate breathing and phonation."

The therapy is aimed at improving the pope's breathing and ability to speak after last week's surgery to insert a tube in his throat to ease his second respiratory crisis in less than a month.

The Vatican handed out the brief medical update to reporters, and papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls was not present to offer any elaboration. It said it would not issue another update until Thursday.

Dr. Cesare Catananti, Gemelli's medical director, smiled at reporters when asked how the pope was doing but would not comment. Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini arrived at the hospital Monday afternoon; it was unclear whether he would meet with John Paul.

Marco Verzaschi, a regional health commissioner, visited the hospital Monday and met with the pope's medical team, including papal physician Dr. Rodolfo Proietti.

"I'm much more optimistic now, after having spoken to the doctors, than when I came," Verzaschi said. "With the pope's great stamina and strength, he is overcoming even this very difficult trial."

The pope spent 10 days in the hospital earlier in February with breathing problems that stemmed from the flu. His relapse led some to question whether he had been released too soon.

"Please, let's not let him get out of the hospital too quickly," said Vatican-based Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Jose Barragan, quoted by La Repubblica newspaper. "In this phase of convalescence, it's necessary to be more cautious and less hasty. I hope it won't be done as it was last time."

John Paul's appearance on Sunday — his first since last Thursday's operation — came just moments after a Vatican official outside St. Peter's Basilica read the pontiff's appeal for prayers.

The pope appeared for only a minute and didn't speak, but he sent a powerful message amid concerns that his latest health crisis would leave him incapacitated and unable to carry on as leader of 1 billion Roman Catholics.

John Paul looked alert, raising hopes he was making progress following the surgery. His appearance also was a sign of his personal determination, after the Vatican had announced he would skip his weekly blessing — a 26-year tradition he didn't miss even after he was shot in 1981 and was recovering from an operation in 1992.

"I thank you with affection and feel you all spiritually near," the pontiff said in a statement.

Giant screens in the square showing Vatican TV's broadcast of Sandri went dark when he finished. But minutes later — at the hospital 2.5 miles away — curtains were pulled back from the pope's 10th-floor suite. He was wheeled up to a closed window, where he waved with his right hand and made signs of the cross to about 200 people on the hospital grounds.

The pope, wearing his usual white robe, then touched his throat, but neither the inserted tube nor other signs of the operation were visible. His gestures were strong, and he appeared in good form.

Any step toward recovery is complicated by the pope's battle with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder that causes tremors and limits muscle control. He also suffers from hip and knee ailments.

One important decision facing the pope's doctors is how long to leave the breathing tube, which draws in air instead of the nose or mouth. In some patients, the tube remains permanently.

Dr. Nicola Mercuri, a neurosurgeon at Rome's Tor Vergata University, told Associated Press Television News that the pope's speech would likely deteriorate as his Parkinson's disease advanced.

"This tube will be a further complication, and we really don't know if the speech will be understandable because it is going to render the tone of voice weaker than it was before," Mercuri said. "We expect a weaker voice. This is for sure."