One person known to speak with Francis frequently, who asked not to be named to discuss the pope's preferences without authorisation, said the pontiff himself had helped draft the updates in his first days in hospital, and pushed his doctors to give more specific details about his condition and treatment.
Greg Erlandson, a US journalist with decades of experience covering the Vatican, expressed his approval of this new approach, stating that the updates “build trust that we are getting a fairly accurate summary” of the Pope's condition.
John Thavis, a Vatican correspondent who has covered three papacies, noted that this transparency "fits with Francis's open style of communicating but is a departure from the Vatican's traditional reserve on the topic of papal health".
The pope's daily medical updates have said repeatedly that he is breathing on his own but occasionally being provided oxygen, as needed, via a small tube under his nose.
These updates have included details about the Pope's treatment, such as the use of high-flow oxygen and blood transfusions, as well as a description of a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” on February 22.
