Pope Francis is resting in the hospital but remains in a “critical” condition due to breathing and kidney problems, the Vatican said on Monday.
“The night went well, the Pope slept and is resting,” the statement said.
Sources from the Vatican said Pope Francis is in good spirits and eating normally. This update is more positive than earlier reports over the weekend, after he experienced breathing problems on Saturday.
The Pope was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after several days of breathing issues. Doctors first treated him for bronchitis but later found pneumonia in both lungs.
On Sunday, the Vatican said the Pope’s platelet levels—important for blood clotting—were stable. However, officials did not give a long-term health prediction because of the “complexity” of his condition.
On Saturday, the Pope had a breathing crisis and was said to be in a “critical” state, but by Sunday, the Vatican confirmed there were no further breathing problems.
Earlier on Sunday, Pope Francis asked Catholics to pray for him after missing the traditional Angelus prayer for the second week in a row.
On Monday at 9:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. GMT), cardinals in Rome will gather outside St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for the Pope. They will be joined by Vatican officials and local clergy from Rome.
This prayer gathering will continue every evening, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, leading Monday’s session.
Pope Francis is more at risk of pneumonia because, as a young man, he had pleurisy—an inflammation of the lungs—and had part of one lung removed.
During his 12 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has been hospitalized several times. In March 2023, he was treated for bronchitis at the same hospital.
Pope Francis, originally from Argentina, is the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
