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Pope Francis remained in critical condition and was “not out of danger,” the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday evening in Rome. 

The 88-year-old Pontiff “experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity” Saturday morning that required the administration of high-flow oxygen, according to the Vatican’s medical update. Blood tests revealed a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), associated with anemia, which required blood transfusions.

While the Holy Father remained alert and spent the day in an armchair, he was “more uncomfortable than yesterday,” the statement said, describing the prognosis as guarded.

The Vatican confirmed earlier Saturday that the Pope would not lead the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Feb. 23. During a press conference at Gemelli Hospital on Friday, the medical team caring for the Pontiff had described his condition as serious, noting that Pope Francis was fully aware of his situation.

Prayerful presence marked the scene outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon as religious sisters and faithful gathered to petition for Pope Francis’ recovery through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Local Catholics and jubilee pilgrims in Rome were praying for Pope Francis’ recovery as he marked one week in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Pilgrim groups and individuals from around the world continued to travel to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, and though they would not catch a glimpse of the Pontiff, he remained close to their hearts.

As they prepared to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, a group of about 50 pilgrims from Our Lady of Nantes Parish in France told CNA they were praying for the Pope’s full recovery. The group had planned to attend the Angelus with the Pope on Feb. 23, but now, “we pray for him and we hope that everything will be OK,” seminarian Aymeric Dor said.

Dor recalled that one of the conditions to receive the Holy Door plenary indulgence was to pray for the Pope’s intentions, which he said they were doing: “We are praying for his health too.”

Agata Eccli, who was part of a pilgrimage of 57 people from different parishes and towns in Poland, said her group was not only praying for Pope Francis during their visit to St. Peter’s Basilica but also at each of the stops they made on an Italy-wide pilgrimage, including the tomb of St. Anthony in Padua, St. Francis in Assisi, St. Peter in Rome, and St.

Pope Francis continued on Saturday to be treated for a respiratory infection at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital where laboratory tests indicate an improvement in certain health parameters.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office on Saturday afternoon said the Pope rested throughout the night without experiencing episodes of fever.

“The examinations carried out during the day confirm the respiratory tract infection. The therapy has been slightly modified based on further microbiological findings. Today’s laboratory tests show an improvement in some values,” it explained.

The statement added that on Saturday morning the Holy Father received the Eucharist and “alternated moments of rest with prayer and reading.”

Pope will not lead Sunday Angelus

To aid his recovery, the medical team at the Hospital has prescribed complete rest. Therefore, the statement continued, “On Sunday, February 16, Pope Francis will not lead the Angelus prayer, however, he has sent a prepared text for its publication.”

The communiqué concluded noting that “The Holy Father has been informed of the many messages of closeness and affection received. He expresses his gratitude and asks for continued prayers for him.”

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How to fight the battle for our souls — and win.

If you knew you had to fight for your life, would you want some time to prepare for that struggle? How would you spend that time? Surely, you would want to spend some of that time choosing suitable weapons and defenses, and you would want to learn how to use them well.

Most of us will never have to fight for our physical lives, but all of us are in a fight — right now — for our souls.  Every human soul is a battleground between the grace of God and the evil of the fallen world, fallen flesh, and the devil. The season of Lent is a time to be vividly reminded of that constant, often hidden conflict. In an earlier column, I described Lent as a time to get serious about confronting the evil within us and the evil around us.  In my last column, I wrote about how to discern whether we are fulfilling or failing Lent’s purposes.  This week, let’s look at the tools needed to fight Lent’s battle — the battle for our souls — and win.

The three traditional Lenten disciplines are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Saint Peter Chrysologus taught that “prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives.” How can we take that wisdom to heart for Lent, and let those disciplines become our arms and armor for the constant battle for our souls?

Let’s start with prayer. Jesus never said, “Pray more” or “Pray better.” He did teach us to pray always. (Luke 18:1) To pray is to enter consciously and deliberately into the presence of God. Jesus was faithful unto death because He knew that He was always in the presence of our Heavenly Father, even when He did not feel that presence.

If you had the opportunity to be constantly in the presence of a father who loved you absolutely, would you take it? But we all have that opportunity! We are all always in the presence of our Heavenly Father Who loves us perfectly. During this Lenten season, find the answer to this question: “What would my life look like if I really believed that I am always in the presence of my Heavenly Father, Who loves me absolutely?” Then live according to the answer to that question — whether you feel like it or not. To “pray always” means to “practice the presence of God.” 

What about fasting? So many people seemed caught up in parsing the minutiae of what constitutes a fast and what does not qualify as a fast. Those considerations are not irrelevant, but they are not paramount.

Re Paul Schratz’ Feb. 10 column “The case for a Just Tariff theory”:

I am appalled that he actually suggested tariffs might be a good idea. He failed to mention that Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. currently have a trade agreement in place, set to expire in 2026. Trump doesn’t seem to care about this agreement. 

The threat of imposing such massive tariffs would only cause economic upheaval in both countries. The reasons cited by President Donald Trump—fact-checked by CNN and other neutral news sources—are grossly exaggerated lies. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized approximately 43 pounds of illicit drugs. Illegal immigration to the U.S. via Canada is a fraction of the illegal crossings at the southern border.

The rule of law appears to be taking a back seat in the U.S., and Canadians from coast to coast—including many who are not Trudeau supporters—are standing firm against the tyranny caused by the sitting president. Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith now seems to be aligning with the other premiers in a unified stance.

Canada is taking a more serious approach to securing our own borders with the U.S. However, our court system and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms need reform to address the serious inconsistencies in the laying of criminal drug charges and obtaining necessary convictions.

Martin Askew
Kelowna

Re Father Ho’s Jan. 20 column “On keeping silent in the face of injustice”:

The call to remain silent in the face of injustice needs further explanation and discussion.

First, it is always right to stand up for a fellow human being when he or she is being treated unfairly. Our justice system also depends on people testifying as witnesses.

When our home is broken into, when someone steals from us or attacks us, should we simply stay quiet?

What if the person who crashes into our car is a fellow Catholic? Should we only settle out of court? Should we not report it?

What if someone spreads lies, damaging our reputation? Should we stay silent?

Isn’t it better to seek a trusted person to mediate, help us confront the issue, and work toward a fair resolution?

Marianne Werner
Vancouver

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7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
First Reading: 1 Sm 26:2, 7–9, 12–13, 22–25
Second Reading: 1 Cor 15:45–49
Gospel Reading: Lk 6:27–38 

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus utters the heart of his teaching: “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you.”

He gives practical examples: “If anyone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.”

The First Reading offers another example. David must have been tempted to think that Saul deserved death and that in killing him he would be doing God and the world a favour. However, David understood what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that the “path of charity”—that is, “the love of God and of neighbour”—is “the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil and the violence which, under the illusion of fighting evil, only makes it worse.”

“Charity,” or, in Greek, agape, “respects others and their rights,” the Catechism says. “It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it.” Agape “inspires a life of self-giving: whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

God’s ways are not our ways. As St. Paul says in the Second Reading: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

By “love,” we usually mean a natural (“perishable”) love: affection, friendship, or eros (the love that expresses itself sexually). We feel these loves toward a few people only.

However, agape is a supernatural love. It consists not of feelings but of willed behaviour. God made us capable of this behaviour when he bestowed supernatural life on us in baptism.

Paradoxically, C.S. Lewis noted that if we try to love all people with this kind of love, we find ourselves loving them naturally more and more and loving naturally more and more people.

Even by simply praying for our enemies, we find that Lewis is right, and we can see from history that if we injure them, even when, by human standards, they deserve it, we find ourselves hating them more.

Christ himself loves us with agape, for he “died out of love for us, while we were still enemies,” says the Catechism. “The Lord asks us to love” our enemies even as he does: “to make ourselves the neighbours of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.”

Valentine’s Day celebrates the life of St. Valentine of Rome, a priest who was martyred on February 14.

February 14 marks the popular holiday of Valentine’s Day, a day to show your love to someone special in your life.

The reason it is called Valentine’s Day is because the Church used to celebrate the life of St. Valentine on this date.

Who was St. Valentine?

February 14 honors the memory of St. Valentine of Rome, a priest who was martyred on this day in the year 270.

A brief biography of St. Valentine is featured in Butler’s Lives of the Saints.

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with Saint Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome; who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year 270. 

Generally speaking, this is most of what we know about the real St. Valentine with any certainty. After his death many legends were composed about him. One of the earliest legends about his life is featured in the Golden Legend.

When St. Valentine was brought in a house in prison, then he prayed to God, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, very God, which art very light, illumine this house in such wise that they that dwell therein may know you to be very God.” And the provost said: “I marvel that you say that your God is very light, and nevertheless, if he may make my daughter to hear and see, which long time hath been blind, I shall do all that you command me, and shall believe in your God.” St. Valentine put him in prayers, and by his prayers the daughter of the provost received again her sight, and all they of the the house were converted. After, the emperor cut off the head of St. Valentine, the year of our Lord two hundred and eighty.

It wasn’t until much later that St. Valentine was associated with lovers, and the invention of the modern-day celebration of Valentine’s Day. Even the story of St. Valentine performing marriages comes at a later date.

Regardless of these later additions to this story, the early Christians venerated St. Valentine of Rome as a holy martyr, who stayed faithful to Christ despite persecution.

Sometimes, Valentine’s Day can feel a little.. cliche? We fall into it “feeling” the same every year — flowers, chocolates, or dinner. These are all beautiful things! But how can we make it feel really meaningful. 

Just like anniversaries have taught us, creating intentionality in your relationship takes time, effort, and sometimes, a little extra guidance. From guidance or structure can come really profound fruit. 

Occasionally, ‘guidance’ can take the form of leaning on a list.

Again, you may be thinking:
“My spouse won’t respond if I pull out a list of questions!”
“It’s just going to be me responding.”
“I don’t feel comfortable sharing these.”
“This isn’t how my spouse and I talk to one another!”
“This feels forced and too cheesy.” 

And while these thoughts are valid, it’s important to also acknowledge that sometimes, nurturing relationships requires utilizing some communication tools to make space for the kind of experiences you truly want. 

Structure can feel forced or disingenuous; however, authentic, genuine, deep connection often doesn’t come naturally—whether that’s because you are still figuring out your communication style as a new couple or you’ve spent years getting really comfortable with one another and have fallen into status quo. 

Whether you’re spending time with your spouse or partner over dinner, writing them a card, or simply spending a few minutes together connecting between bedtimes and cleaning up the house–the questions below are meant to bring a deeper layer of intentionality. This is a chance to check in on each person and continue to support one another in the ways needed.

So, we want to propose a few Valentines Day questions to ask your partner, whether you’re in year 1 or year 30. 

• What is something that has brought you a lot of joy lately? 
• What has been the most challenging thing for you lately? 
• Pick three words you would use to describe yourself right now.
• What was the last great book you read / podcast you listened to?
• What area of life do you want to grow in? 
• What ways are you growing spiritually? 
• What do you think God is doing in your life, or speaking to you right now? 
• What has been rewarding in your career lately? 
• What has been rewarding at home? 
• What is one goal you are currently working towards?
• What was something that you have grown in valuing of your partner recently?
• What is something you feel like we’ve done well as a couple? 
• What is something that you hope we can grow in? 
• What do you need me from me? How can I support you?

This might get lost in your inbox – so download these questions as cards and print them out, or swipe through on your phone!

“I already feel guilty enough about what I did. I don’t need a priest to make me feel more guilty.”

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are three spiritual practices we encourage during Lent. As part of those practices, we also encourage making a good confession. And yet, rather oddly, some people see feeling guilty as an obstacle to this sacrament.

If you already feel guilty about something you have said or done, that means you recognize it as wrong. And, that’s not bad. Folks who couldn’t care less if they hurt someone are the worrisome ones. They have the bigger problem. But, back to you.

The priest isn’t there to make you feel more guilty, but to help you move through your sense of guilt to being freed to live the life that God wants you to live. God wants to unburden you from an ego that is focused only on yourself.

6 points for going to Confession without feeling more guilty

It’s been a while since I’ve gone to confession.

That’s okay. Just tell that to the priest, and he will help you. The priest understands that people forget, or even never learned, how to go to confession. So, when you go into the reconciliation room (sometimes still called the confessional), just tell him:

“Father, it’s been a while since I’ve made a confession, and I don’t remember how it’s done. Can you help me?” (or) “I haven’t done this before. I don’t know how to begin.”

Remember this ONE thing above all else.

The priest is not there to judge you, but to be a minister of God’s love and forgiveness. He is there to serve you and your relationship with God.

Before you see the priest.

Consider the following two questions in preparation for confession:

1. How long has it been since your last confession?
2. What is it that you would like God to forgive you for? If you’re not sure, then ask yourself what prompts you to go to confession. Perhaps …

• You do not pray every day.
• You intentionally hurt someone.
• You did something that is contrary to the Christian life.
• You are unable let go of a grudge against someone who hurt you or someone you love.

Remember this, too.

A confession is not a trial by a judge or jury, but part of the Sacrament of God’s forgiveness — God’s loving embrace of you. God knows that you are not perfect, which is why he gives you Jesus. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. With Jesus, you move through death to life. With Jesus, you can move from feeling guilty to living life as Jesus wants you to live.

On the sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we reflect on St. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. I have always appreciated the juxtaposition of the lessons in Jesus’ words: negative situations will result in joy; comfortable situations may eventually result in misery.

Quoting Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Luke writes, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven” (Lk 6:20–22).

I find these words particularly impactful during this Jubilee Year in which we are called to be “Pilgrims of Hope.” In our day and age, it seems that many people are unable to face suffering with an attitude of hope. As a person of faith, I know that I am not called to seek out suffering—and I’m certainly not called to enjoy it—but I am aware that suffering is part of life. Jesus’ words remind me that, in faith, we can endure. Our Jubilee Year reminds us that we must hold on to hope and be witnesses of this hope in a world so desperately in need of it.

I recently watched Chris Stefanick’s interview with Monsignor James Shea entitled, “What if Depression and Anxiety Are the Only Logical Response to a World Without God?” In this interview, Monsignor Shea acknowledged the very real existence of clinical depression and anxiety in some people; however, he also noted a correlation between an increase in anxiety and a decrease in the number of people who proclaim to have faith.

He stated, “I think what’s happened is that, in part at least, we’ve pathologized negative emotions. Some people feel that if they have negative feelings … that there is something wrong with them fundamentally because no one is ever ‘supposed’ to feel bad about anything.” Monsignor went on to say that these reactions don’t actually “respond to reality according to any measure.” Life is full of challenges, and “the fact of the matter is that feeling bad, being afraid or anxious or concerned is sometimes the exact right response to a set of circumstances.” Furthermore, he adds, “The emotions are one of the four powers of the soul which God put in us.”

It would seem that, rather than relying on Scripture messages, such as the Beatitudes quoted above, or developing personal relationships with God, people confronted with challenging situations feel desperate, as if they have nowhere to turn.