Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy,
has been listed in "stable" condition after he was hospitalized when he
collapsed during the Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St.
Peter's Square on March 24. Cardinal Piacenza was stricken during Communion time at the papal Mass, which took place under a glaring sun.
Although his collapse was not noticed by many in the huge congregation, when he fell backward gently into his chair, the clerics standing nearby were clearly concerned.
The cardinal was taken to Gemelli Hospital, where he remains, being treated for what informed sources describe as a serious heart condition, but not one that poses an immediate danger to his life.