Pope’s hospital stay lengthened [updated Fri. AM]
February 18, 2025
Update, Friday morning: In a brief February 21 statement, the Vatican press office said: “The night went well, this morning Pope Francis got up and had breakfast.”
Doctors have not offered any estimate of how long the Pope might be hospitalized, but a Vatican official conceded that it is unlikely the Pontiff will make his customary Angelus audience on Sunday.
Update, Thursday afternoon: The Vatican reports that the Pope’s condition “is improving slightly,” saying that on Thursday he “received the Eucharist and then went about his daily business.”
The report said that the Pope’s “hemodynamic parameters”—such as blood pressure and heart rate—“remain stable,” and he does not have a fever. The report did not directly address the breathing difficulties that led to his hospitalization.
Doctors with experience in similar cases said that the next few days would show whether treatments were successfully fighting the multiple infections that have caused pneumonia in both the Pope’s lungs.
Update, Thursday morning: Pope Francis “had a restful night, and this morning, got out of bed and had breakfast in an armchair,” the Vatican reports.
Yesterday doctors reported a “slight improvement” in the Pontiff’s condition, based on blood tests, as they continue to battle pneumonia in both lungs.
Update, Wednesday afternoon: The Pope’s condition “remains stable,” doctors reported on Wednesday afternoon, adding that blood tests show a “slight improvement, particularly in signs of inflammation.”
Update, Wednesday morning: Pope Francis remains alert and in good spirits, but his symptoms “continue to present a complex picture,” doctors at Gemelli Hospital reported on February 19.
On the 6th day of the Pope’s hospital stay, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “He had a tranquil night, work up and had breakfast.” He spent part of the day sitting up in a chair, did work work, “received the Eucharist, and throughout the day, alternated between rest, prayer, and reading.”
Vatican sources said that the Pope has not required supplemental oxygen, and his heart function has remained steady.
However doctors continue to battle what they have described as a “polymicrobial respiratory-tract infection”—meaning that they are fighting several different bacteria and/or viruses simultaneously. What was originally envisioned as a 3-4 day hospital stay may now stretch to two or three weeks.
Update, Tuesday afternoon: The Vatican announced Tuesday afternoon that Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia. The diagnosis—made after a chest X-ray and CT scan—complicates the prognosis, but the Vatican says the Pope remains in “good spirits.”
The Vatican has cancelled papal audiences through this week, and announced that other prelates will take the Pontiff’s place in presiding at Jubilee Year events, as Pope Francis faces a lengthened stay at Gemelli Hospital because of a respiratory infection.
Although there is no indication that the Pope’s condition has deteriorated, doctors have changed his medications at least twice as they fight a “complex” infection that has apparently resisted treatment. The Pope has no fever, the Vatican reports, and he has been able to rest comfortably, read newspapers, and make at least a few phone calls from his hospital bed.
However Vatican officials, who had originally cleared the Pope’s schedule for three days, now are assuming that the Pope will not return to a regular work pattern for at least a week. Archbishop Rino Fisichella will step in to preside at the Sunday Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons on February 23, and the regular Wednesday public audience will not take place.
The Vatican reported that the Pope had been “touched by the numerous message of affection and closeness that he has been receiving.”
This report will be updated if/when new medical bulletins are released.
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Further information:
- Pope rested well, appreciates prayers and best-wishes (Vatican News)
- Vatican cancels pope's weekend engagements as he battles 'complex' infection (Reuters)
- Vatican cancels more Holy Year events as pope remains hospitalized with respiratory infection (AP)
- Vatican Cancels Pope Francis’ Appointments as Health Concerns Grow (Wall Street Journal)
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