Vatican: Francis stable, out of ‘imminent danger' of death
The Vatican issued an update Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains in Rome's Gemelli hospital under the care of doctors, saying that while his prognosis remains "complex," the pope is no longer in "imminent danger" of death.
On Friday, the Vatican's Holy See Press Office announced that since Francis' condition is now considered stable, barring any major developments, updates on his health will be less frequent. The 88-year-old pontiff has spent four weeks in the hospital and is receiving treatment for double pneumonia.
Medical bulletins from the pope's doctors, which had been almost a daily occurrence since his admission to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, will be issued only when there is new information, the press office said Friday. The office emphasized that Francis' recovery is progressing, but that it will require time to make sure the improvements continue.
This also means the Holy See's daily morning update about how the pope spent the night will no longer be issued, which leaves only the evening news briefing for journalists.
The Vatican said that this is a "a positive sign" for the Catholic faithful, meaning that no news is essentially good news.
Francis is continuing his prescribed medical treatments, which included motor physiotherapy Friday. He alternates between noninvasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, according to the Vatican.
Francis had part of a lung removed as a young man after a pulmonary infection and has in recent years battled recurring bouts of bronchitis.
On Thursday, the press office said Francis celebrated the 12th anniversary of his papal election surrounded by health care staff.
Part of the pope's hospital stay comes during the Christian season of Lent. It is the annual 40-day period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent began on March 5.
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Voice of America
15-03-2025
- Voice of America
Vatican: Francis stable, out of ‘imminent danger' of death
The Vatican issued an update Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains in Rome's Gemelli hospital under the care of doctors, saying that while his prognosis remains "complex," the pope is no longer in "imminent danger" of death. On Friday, the Vatican's Holy See Press Office announced that since Francis' condition is now considered stable, barring any major developments, updates on his health will be less frequent. The 88-year-old pontiff has spent four weeks in the hospital and is receiving treatment for double pneumonia. Medical bulletins from the pope's doctors, which had been almost a daily occurrence since his admission to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, will be issued only when there is new information, the press office said Friday. The office emphasized that Francis' recovery is progressing, but that it will require time to make sure the improvements continue. This also means the Holy See's daily morning update about how the pope spent the night will no longer be issued, which leaves only the evening news briefing for journalists. The Vatican said that this is a "a positive sign" for the Catholic faithful, meaning that no news is essentially good news. Francis is continuing his prescribed medical treatments, which included motor physiotherapy Friday. He alternates between noninvasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, according to the Vatican. Francis had part of a lung removed as a young man after a pulmonary infection and has in recent years battled recurring bouts of bronchitis. On Thursday, the press office said Francis celebrated the 12th anniversary of his papal election surrounded by health care staff. Part of the pope's hospital stay comes during the Christian season of Lent. It is the annual 40-day period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent began on March 5.
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Voice of America
Hospitalized pope marks 12 years in job with future uncertain
Pope Francis marks 12 years as head of the Catholic Church on Thursday, seemingly out of danger after a month in hospital but with his health casting a shadow over his future. The 88-year-old was, for a time, critically ill as he battled pneumonia in both lungs at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on Feb. 14. The Argentine's situation has markedly improved since then, with the Vatican confirming his condition as stable on Wednesday evening, and talk is now turning to when he might go home. But his hospitalization, the longest and most fraught of his papacy, has raised serious doubts about his ability to lead the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics. Slowing down Francis had before now refused to make any concessions to his age or increasingly fragile health, which saw him begin using a wheelchair three years ago. He maintained a packed daily schedule interspersed with frequent overseas trips, notably a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region in September, when he presided over huge open-air masses. But experts say his recovery could take weeks given his age and recurring health issues, not helped by having part of one lung removed as a young man. "The rest of his pontificate remains a question mark for the moment, including for Francis himself," said Father Michel Kubler, a Vatican expert and former editor in chief of the French religious newspaper La Croix. "He doesn't know what his life will be like once he returns to the Vatican and so, no doubt, reserves the option of resigning if he can no longer cope," he told AFP. Francis has always left the door open to resigning were his health to deteriorate, following the example of Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down. But the Jesuit has distanced himself from the idea more recently, insisting the job is for life. While in hospital, Francis has delegated masses to senior cardinals but has kept working on and off, including signing decrees and receiving close colleagues. But he has missed a month of events for the 2025 Jubilee, a holy year organized by the pope that is predicted to draw an additional 30 million pilgrims to Rome and the Vatican. And it is hard to imagine he will be well enough to lead a full program of events for Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar that is less than six weeks away. Many believe that Francis, who has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized, has to change course. "This is the end of the pontificate as we have known it, until now," Kubler said. Unfinished reforms Francis struck a sharp contrast to his cerebral predecessor when he took office, eschewing the trappings of office and reaching out to the most disadvantaged in society with a message that the Church was for everyone. A former archbishop of Buenos Aires more at home with his flock than the cardinals of the Roman Curia, Francis introduced sweeping reforms across the Vatican and beyond. Some of the changes, from reorganizing the Vatican's finances to increasing the role of women and opening the Church to divorced and LGBTQ members, have been laid down in official texts. But a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the Church, known as a Synod, is not yet finished. And there are many who would happily see his work undone. Traditionalists have strongly resisted his approach, and an outcry in Africa caused the Vatican to clarify its authorization of non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples in 2023. "Whether we like him or not, he has shifted the dial, but many things are still pending," a Vatican source said.
Voice of America
12-03-2025
- Voice of America
Chest X-ray confirms improvements in pope's condition, Vatican says
Pope Francis' recovery from double pneumonia continued Wednesday as a chest X-ray confirmed improvement, two days after doctors declared he is no longer in imminent danger of death. The latest medical bulletin said the pope's condition remained stable but indicated a complex picture considering his overall fragility. The Vatican said Francis, 88, again followed its spiritual retreat remotely and resumed physical and respiratory therapy after a quiet night. He continues to receive high flows of oxygen through nasal tubes during the day and a noninvasive mechanical mask to aid his rest at night. His weekly Wednesday general audience was canceled since the Vatican hierarchy is on retreat this week as part of the Lenten spiritual exercises that have been a mainstay of the Jesuit pope's pontificate. Francis faces important milestones this week. On Thursday, he marks the 12th anniversary of his election as the 266th pope. The Holy See has not said how the anniversary, a public holiday in the Vatican, might be commemorated. No medical bulletin will be issued. The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected on the fifth ballot of the 2013 conclave that was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. While Francis has praised Benedict's humility in stepping down and said he might follow in his footsteps, more recently he has said the papacy is a job for life. Another milestone comes Friday, when Francis marks four weeks of hospitalization. St. John Paul II holds the record for a hospital stay, at 55 days, when in 1981 he underwent a minor surgical operation and then was treated for a cytomegalovirus infection. Francis is on track to equal the second-longest stay, 28 days, which John Paul recorded in 1994, when he had surgery to repair his right hip joint after he fractured his right femur in a fall, according to Gemelli hospital. The Vatican has released no photos or video of Francis since he was admitted. The pope recorded an audio message last week to thank people for their prayers, though the weakness and breathlessness of his voice made clear how frail he was.
