A woman prays for Pope Francis on Wednesdays in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, where the Pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14.
Andrew Medichini/AP
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Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis has spent another stable night in a Rome hospital that’s now housed him for almost two weeks, but doctors continue to warn that his medical condition remains critical.
The pontiff is resting, the Vatican’s press office said publicly on Wednesday morning, in one of its twice-daily updates that have drawn the close attention of devout Catholics worldwide.
Despite pneumonia in both of his lungs, as well as several other ailments, Francis has continued to carry out some work while in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the Vatican posted late Tuesday.
That update included more detailed medical information than Wednesday morning’s bulletin, relaying how Francis had suffered no further acute respiratory episodes of the kind that had seriously concerned doctors last Saturday morning.
His blood platelet count was now more stable, his medical team said, and there was no mention of mild kidney damage that had emerged over the past weekend.
Yet the statement said his prognosis remained “cautious,” and he underwent a CT scan to examine the extent of the pneumonia in his two lungs, while continuing to receive oxygen treatment through his nose.
Francis, 88, has now been considered in critical condition for several days, and he has remained absent from several regular appearances at the Vatican. The church has encouraged worshippers across Rome and around the world to pray for his health, including at nightly vigils held close to St. Peter’s — a custom the Catholic Church has long practiced during previous papal illnesses.
Francis was first admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 for a case of bronchitis, and was initially in stable condition until suffering a polymicrobial infection that forced him to remain for further treatment. Shortly after that, the Vatican announced Francis had developed pneumonia in both of his lungs, and consequently required further in-patient treatment.
On Saturday, alongside what the Vatican called his “asthma-like respiratory crisis”, the pope was also diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, a condition characterized by a low count of the platelets in blood that help to form clots. He was given blood transfusions to help “bring up his hemoglobin levels,” the Vatican later said in a Monday morning statement.
By Monday evening, the Vatican announced that his lab results showed improvement and monitoring of his mild kidney insufficiency hadn’t prompted any fresh concerns.
This latest update on Wednesday morning marked the second successive night that the Holy See news bulletins have said the pope “rested well,” and it followed news that he held meetings with Vatican officials on Monday, which included the signing of documents linked to sainthood designations.
Among those Francis recognized this week as being one day potentially worthy of sainthood was Emil Joseph Kapaun, an American chaplain who served with the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War.
