Prince Rainier conscious, but still reliant on respirator
The medical update came a day after the palace issued the most pessimistic report yet on the 81-year-old monarch's prospects for survival. He remains on a respirator.
"The cardiac, lung and kidney functions that did not stop deteriorating have stabilised," the palace said in the new health bulletin, signed by three doctors.
Rainier "is conscious, but under sedation, which allows him to withstand respiratory assistance that is absolutely indispensable," it said.
The prince's prognosis remains "very reserved", the palace said apparently a notch less severe than the "extremely reserved" judgment given by doctors on Saturday. Rainier's health remains "worrisome", it said.
At Monaco Cathedral, where the prince married American actress Grace Kelly in 1956, some worshippers sat in pews with copies of Monaco Matin newspaper before Mass began.
"Prince Rainier: The Worst Ever," read the front-page headline. Archbishop Bernard Barsi, who led the Mass, visited the hospital on Saturday, the newspaper reported.
In his call to prayer, Archbishop Barsi said the health of both Rainier and of Pope John Paul II "worries us greatly."
"May God support them in their ordeal. May they know that they can count on our prayers and our affection," he said.
Monaco's 32,000 people are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. While a prayer for the prince is part of every Sunday Mass, this week's had special significance. A prayer written in Latin in the Mass program said: "God protect our Prince Rainier and answer our prayers in this time that we call on you."
As worshippers wished each other a happy Easter, many were relieved upon hearing that the prince's condition had improved.
"It's good news, really wonderful," Roger Durdilly said as he exited the cathedral. "He is like the Pope. He wanted to stay in power until the end."
Rainier, who has suffered ill health in recent years, was hospitalised at the Cardio-Thoracic Centre on March 7 with a chest infection. He was transferred to the intensive care unit on Tuesday when his health took a sudden turn for the worse.
Rainier, who has ruled Monaco since 1949, is beloved in the tiny principality that he transformed into a modern and elegant enclave for the rich.
