HELENA — In the most upbeat bulletin in days, the Vatican said Pope Francis resumed work from his hospital room, and test results show slight improvement.
Doctors said the condition of the pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility, and pre-existing lung disease before pneumonia set in.
As the leader of the Catholic faith worldwide, many closely follow the pope's condition and pray for his health.
Students and staff at St. Andrew Catholic School pray for the pope during every mass, but as he remains in the hospital, they are having special discussions and prayers for his health.
Ever since Pope Francis went into the hospital, St. Andrew middle and high school theology teacher Mary O'Donnell reads a prayer for healing for Pope Francis in front of her students.
"In a very real sense, we're a giant family as the catholic church. Just as we would hear of the problems with the health of our loved ones, parents, and grandparents, it hits home that our leader isn't doing well, " she said.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis is the "265th successor to St. Peter."
While he may be on the opposite side of the world, students at St. Andrew understand his role and feel a connection to him.
Eighth-grader Ellie Linton said, "He's like our rock. He's the one that God passed down his church to and our leader. He's our father, and we love him and care for him."
"Thinking of the pope as somebody who you might not have a super personal relationship with because I've never seen him in person, but just to know that you can have that feeling that they deserve prayers as much as anybody that you know personally," said Charlotte Cobb, a freshman at St. Andrew.
On a typical day, the pope meets with and sees hundreds to thousands of people.
One of which was O'donnell, who has seen Pope Francis three times.
She said, "It pulls on the heartstrings. There's a weight to that office. Pretty sure I was moved to tears the first time."
(WATCH O'DONNELL READ THE PRAYER FOR HEALING)
Some of the students at St. Andrew also had the opportunity to see the pope last April.
"That was a super cool experience. I have a few couple rosaries and a couple medals that were blessed by the pope. Definitely, one of the realizations was like, 'Oh, this guy is more famous than most people in this world," said Quinn Casey, a senior at St. Andrew.
O'Donnell says their prayers are for the pope's health and comfort and that God's will be done.
