Pope has ‘another restful night’ as his condition remains stable: Vatican

ISTANBUL

Pope Francis had “another restful night” in a Rome hospital where he has recently been fighting off health woes, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

“Pope Francis rested well overnight and woke up slightly after 8 a.m. (0700GMT) this morning,” the Vatican press office said.

It added that his overall condition at Rome's Gemelli Hospital remains stable, including heart, kidney, and blood values.

Francis, 88, has not faced any new medical crises since Monday when he suffered two respiratory failure episodes, it said.

On Tuesday the pontiff started high-flow oxygen therapy and respiratory physiotherapy and was set to resume non-invasive ventilation overnight till Wednesday.

It added that his prognosis remains guarded and that Francis prayed and rested on Tuesday.

Pope’s hospitalization

The pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14. The Vatican announced on Feb. 18 that Francis had developed double pneumonia and his condition was complicated.

A Feb. 21 statement said doctors indicated his life was not in immediate danger, but a day later, his condition was said to be critical after he suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.”

On Feb. 26 and 27, the Vatican reported that the pope's condition had improved.

Last Friday, the Vatican said the Pope underwent broncho-aspiration due to a bronchospasm crisis and that non-invasive mechanical ventilation was done to ensure gas exchange and the treatment got a positive response.

Since Saturday, the pope has been stable, while the prognosis remains guarded.

Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital for the first time in 2021 for colon surgery.

The pope, who has been using a wheelchair in recent years due to pain in his knee, was treated at the hospital twice in 2023 – once for a respiratory issue causing shortness of breath and another time for abdominal surgery which involved placing a prosthesis on his abdominal wall.