Balloons depicting Pope Francis are laid on the statue of John Paul II outdoors the Gemelli hospital the place Pope Francis is hospitalized, in Rome on Feb. 24, 2025. Pope Francis, in essential situation in hospital with pneumonia, had night time and was resting, the Vatican mentioned Monday.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
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ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
ROME — The Vatican introduced Monday morning that Pope Francis had a “restful” night time within the Italian hospital the place he is been receiving remedy for a fancy respiratory an infection that features double pneumonia and bronchitis.
“The night time went effectively; the Pope slept and is resting,” based on a assertion that the Holy See Press Workplace printed Monday.
Francis, 88, had remained in essential situation all through the weekend after extreme respiration difficulties have been reported Saturday morning. He has continued to obtain high-flow oxygen remedy by way of his nostril at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which he entered virtually two weeks in the past. The pope’s medical group had mentioned Sunday he had additionally proven indicators of “gentle” kidney failure, although the Vatican mentioned that was below management.
The well being disaster going through the pontiff, who was elected pope in 2013, has led to his absence from some common Vatican appearances and drawn teams of Catholic worshippers to St. Peter’s Sq. to hope for his restoration.
On Saturday night, youngsters from a Catholic spiritual group referred to as the Salesians stood in a circle, murmuring quiet prayers for the pope’s well being.
On Sunday, extra prayers have been held on the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Catholic cathedral of Rome, at what Stefano D’Agnese, an attendee, known as “a tough second.” “We’re sincerely deeply involved for our Holy Father,” mentioned D’Agnese, “so prayer is actually the second of union, is not it? It makes us really feel collectively and with hope within the coronary heart that this tough second may be resolved.”
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a senior Vatican official who presided over a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, known as on parishioners to make their prayers for Francis “stronger and extra fervent.”
Hospitalized in mid-February, the pope continued to work
The pontiff was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 for a case of bronchitis. He had been in secure situation however suffered a polymicrobial an infection that pressured him to stay within the hospital. Shortly after that, the Vatican introduced Francis had developed pneumonia in each lungs, and required additional remedy.
On Saturday, the Vatican mentioned Francis had skilled an “asthma-like respiratory disaster” that required supplemental oxygen. The pope was additionally identified with thrombocytopenia, a situation characterised by a low depend of the platelets in blood that assist to type clots. He was given blood transfusions to assist “carry up his hemoglobin ranges,” the most recent assertion Monday morning mentioned.
Regardless of his ongoing hospitalization, the pontiff continued a few of his work. The Vatican mentioned the pope was alert, sitting upright, participated in Mass and browse a number of the well-wishes which have flooded in from around the globe.
On Sunday, he missed the midday blessing for the second weekend in a row, however two homilies have been delivered in his identify.
In the meantime, high church officers dismissed what they known as rumors that the pope could resign from his put up. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, mentioned in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper that any potential adjustments in management have been “unfounded hypothesis” in the intervening time.
“I feel it’s fairly regular in these conditions for unverified rumors to flow into or for misplaced feedback to be made — that is definitely not the primary time,” Parolin mentioned. “Nonetheless, I don’t consider there may be any explicit motion on this regard, and thus far, I’ve not heard something of the type.”
