Pope Francis has been hospitalized for pneumonia for nearly a month. Doctors say he is now out of danger but still needs to be hospitalized for treatment. Doctors believe the Pope's condition has stabilized and will continue with medication.
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03-26, 2025The Vatican issued a new statement saying that doctors have removed the previous "cautious" prognosis, meaning the Pope is no longer in life-threatening danger from the respiratory infection he was admitted for on February 14. However, doctors remain cautious, believing that given the complexity of the clinical situation and the severity of the infection upon admission, the Pope still needs to be hospitalized for medication.
The Pope's health has improved, and he participated in a week-long Vatican spiritual retreat via video conference on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), including morning and afternoon sessions. As on Sunday, the Pope participated remotely from the Roman hospital. He could hear the homilies of Vatican priest Roberto Paziolini, but the priests, bishops, and cardinals gathered in the Vatican auditorium could not see or hear him.
Paziolini will be conducting a series of meditations this week on the theme of "hope for eternal life," which was determined before the Pope was admitted on February 14 with a complex lung infection. The spiritual retreat is an annual gathering during Lent, the Catholic Church's lead-up to Easter, and will last for a week. The Vatican said the Pope would be "spiritually in communion with" the other clergy.
Pope Francis has also resumed physical and respiratory therapy at the Gemelli hospital, with periods of rest and prayer in between. The Pope continues to use a nasal cannula for oxygen support during the day and a non-invasive ventilator at night. The 88-year-old Pope has chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed when he was younger. He was only suffering from severe bronchitis when he was admitted last month, but the infection developed into a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia, making the Pope's condition the longest of his 12-year papacy and raising concerns about the future.
Pope Francis is still following developments. The Vatican said he is aware of the flooding in his home country of Argentina and has expressed his condolences to the affected people. In addition, a Vatican cardinal close to the Pope has come forward to refute some of the negative media reports circulating during his absence.
The Vatican Development Office released a letter from Cardinal Michael Czerny to Juan Grabois, an Argentine social justice activist and close friend of the Pope. Grabois traveled to Rome to pray for the Pope at the Gemelli hospital, and some Italian media reported last month that he had tried to force his way into the Pope's suite on the 10th floor of the hospital, which he denied.
In the letter dated March 6, Czerny told Grabois that the Pope "knows that you are in Rome, and of your daily vigil of prayer and spiritual solidarity at the Gemelli Policlinic, which I am sure gives him real comfort and support." Czerny wrote, "Furthermore, I know that you, like me, strongly condemn the unfounded claims circulating in some media regarding improper conduct at the hospital."
The Vatican is always rife with rumors, but such gossip has become more frenzied amid speculation about the Pope's health and talk of a conclave, even though the Pope is still alive and in charge. The fact that Czerny felt it necessary to defend one of the Pope's friends suggests that rumors and manipulation have crossed the line during the Pope's absence.
On Thursday, the Vatican will mark the 12th anniversary of Pope Francis' election, the first time it has been celebrated in the Pope's absence but still in power. Pope Francis was elected the 266th Pope on March 13, 2013, the first Jesuit Pope and the first from Latin America, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
