Diagnosed publicly with double pneumonia on Tuesday evening, Pope Francis is now reportedly showing signs of improvement, according to new details issued by the Vatican tonight.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis' health condition is reportedly stabilizing and showing some signs of improvement.
As of Wednesday evening, Rome time, the Holy See Press Office issued a statement saying Pope Francis' condition "appears to be stationary." Blood tests "show slight improvement, particularly in inflammatory indices."
Through Wednesday he read some papers, performed some paperwork, and met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni privately for around 20 minutes. Meloni's visit was notable in itself, though her brief statement about the Pope's health was less so.
On Wednesday morning, a very brief update from press office director Matteo Bruni announced that Francis rested well and had eaten breakfast. Some sources had reported that the Pope was improving, notwithstanding his diagnosis of pneumonia.
Ansa news agency also stated earlier Wednesday that the Pope gets out of bed during the day and sits in an armchair, as opposed to being bed-bound. The outlet cited Vatican sources who stated that Francis’ heart is doing well and that despite the pneumonia affecting his one-and-a-half lungs, he is not requiring supplemental oxygen. However, in order to recover, visitations are completely canceled apart from those who are his closest collaborators.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was due to visit Francis today, but it is not known if he did indeed visit the Pope.
Italian Catholic blog Messa in Latino had reported late Tuesday night that RAI Vaticano has been alerted for a possible extraordinary edition. RAI Vaticano is the Vatican-dedicated section of Italy's state-sponsored broadcaster RAI. Such news came after the Tuesday evening announcement from the Vatican that Francis had double pneumonia.
Francis had been admitted to hospital Friday with a fever and with bronchitis, though the Holy See Press Office told journalists Saturday evening that the fever had apparently subsided, and medical personnel reportedly stated that he was showing “improvement in some values.”
On Sunday evening, his condition was declared “stationary,” but then on Monday the press office announced it had worsened and that “all the investigations carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require appropriate hospital stay.”
His audiences have been canceled up until the end of Sunday, February 23.
Should he remain in the hospital until then, then it would indeed be the longest hospitalization of his pontificate. He was in the hospital for less than five days in the spring of 2023 and then in June 2023 for nine days. During the latter occasion, he underwent surgery for an “incarcerated incisional hernia” that the Holy See Press Office described as a necessary procedure but not an emergency.
Now diagnosed with double pneumonia – a condition the doctors were actively seeking to avoid – this “complex” medical scenario comes as the latest of health struggles the 88-year-old Pontiff has had in recent years.
Meanwhile, heightened media presence in Rome and around the Vatican points to the aspect that remains quietly spoken about, though not officially mentioned – namely, a potential papal conclave should the Pope pass away from his ailments.
