A chest X-ray performed Tuesday shows that Pope Francis is indeed improving, according to information issued by his doctors Wednesday evening. Pope Francis has now been in the hospital for 26 days.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — A chest X-ray performed Tuesday shows that Pope Francis is indeed improving, according to information issued by his doctors Wednesday evening.
As of Monday evening, Pope Francis' condition has been described as improving, as he is no longer in imminent danger from the infections which brought him to the hospital. This trend has continued Wednesday, according to his doctors.
He continues to use high-flow oxygen via nasal cannulas during the day, and the oxygen mask at night.
While doctors have expressed prudent happiness at his condition, no signs about his discharge from hospital have been made, nor a longer term plan for his care revealed.
The full medical bulletin issued via the press office Wednesday states:
The clinical conditions of the Holy Father, in the complexity of the general picture, have remained stationary.The chest X-ray performed yesterday radiologically confirmed the improvements recorded in the previous days.
The Holy Father continues to undergo high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive mechanical ventilation during the night.
This morning, after following the Spiritual Exercises in connection with the Paul VI Hall, he received the Eucharist, dedicated himself to prayer and, subsequently, to motor physiotherapy.
In the afternoon, after joining the Curia in the Spiritual Exercises, he continued to pray, rest and undergo respiratory physiotherapy.
The Pope has now been in the hospital for over three weeks after being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 for bronchitis. He was then diagnosed with double pneumonia in what was described as a “complex” medical scenario and subsequently a “critical” state.
As of Monday evening, his prognosis has been lifted meaning he is no longer in imminent danger, though his longer-term diagnosis has not been released.
It has become the longest hospital stay of his pontificate, with the previous longest being a stay of 10 days during the summer of 2021, and is currently the third-longest papal hospitalization at 26 full days. On Friday it will become the joint second longest hospitalization, second only to John Paul II's 55-day stay in 1981.
On Sunday, February 23, he showed signs of “mild” kidney failure, though in subsequent days doctors said they were not concerned by the symptoms.
His condition now has been stable since the evening update of March 4, though doctors have previously warned that it can change drastically in a short space of time. His prognosis has remained confidential, or reserved, by the doctors since the weekend of February 22.
On Thursday night, an audio recording of the Pope was played just before the nightly Rosary in St. Peter’s Square, in which Francis thanked all present for their prayers for his health. His voice was notably strained in the very brief recording – a recording that Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office, said was the Pope’s own decision to make and release.
It was the first such recording since his admission to the hospital and no other images or videos have been released.
The nightly Rosary, which has been held in St. Peter’s Square for the Pope since February 24, will, during the Roman Curia’s spiritual exercises, be held at 5 p.m. local time rather than the 9 p.m. slot this week.
For full background on the Pope’s hospitalization, see LifeSiteNews’ coverage here.
