Pope Francis said to be breathing on his own and resting well after bilateral pneumonia diagnosis
Rome — The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Francis had spent a peaceful night in a Rome hospital — his fifth after being admitted with a bout of bronchitis that has developed into pneumonia in both lungs. Tuesday’s bilateral pneumonia diagnosis would be a worrying turn for any 88-year-old, but it is of particular concern for the leader of the Catholic Church, who has long suffered from respiratory problems.
Pope Francis rested well, woke up and ate breakfast Wednesday morning, the Vatican said. A source at the institution said the pontiff was not suffering heart problems and was breathing on his own, without the aid of a respirator. They said he was sitting up in an armchair at times, and it was understood that he’s under strict orders from his medical team to rest.
No visitors are being allowed to see the pope, but close aides have been bringing him documents to review and sign.
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Another source told CBS News that Francis had been making a number of phone calls, and he’s also been receiving notes from well-wishers.
People have been gathering outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital to show their support, too, with many leaving messages and notes near a statue of former Pope John Paul II. The Vatican also shared a selection of photos Wednesday showing some of the drawings and notes of support that children being treated at Gemelli’s pediatric oncology unit have sent to the pope.
The pope has always kept a very busy schedule, and he appeared breathless at some of his public events earlier in the month, before being admitted to the hospital on Friday for what was first diagnosed as bronchitis.
The new diagnosis confirmed on Tuesday, of pneumonia in both of his lungs, came a day after the Vatican said the pontiff had a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract and that test results were “indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require an adequate hospital stay.”
The Vatican said Tuesday that the pneumonia would require additional drug therapy. The illness was discovered after Francis underwent a CT scan of his chest on Tuesday afternoon, the Vatican said.
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The Vatican has said Francis is thankful for the “closeness he feels at this moment” from his supporters, and that he asked for people to pray for him.
This is the pope’s fourth hospitalization since he took over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013. He underwent significant abdominal surgery in 2021 and then had another procedure in 2023 to repair scar tissue and an abdominal hernia. He had been hospitalized briefly for treatment for pneumonia earlier that year.
As a young man in his home country of Argentina, Francis had part of one lung removed following a pulmonary infection, which left him vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.
The Vatican has canceled an audience Francis was scheduled to have on Saturday and announced that he wouldn’t celebrate Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, either.
The pope’s continuing hospitalization comes just over two weeks before the start of the annual Christian observance of Lent. The 40-day Lenten period begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 5.
Just before Easter last year, Francis declined to attend a Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum in a bid to conserve his health, but the pope later led tens of thousands of worshipers in Easter celebrations.
