Concerns grow over Pope Francis; pontiff remains stable

Pope Francis, hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia, remains in critical condition but has shown slight improvement, the Vatican announced yesterday, as concern grows for the 88-year-old Argentine pontiff.

The Holy Father's clinical condition, although still critical, has shown slight improvement," the Holy See said in a statement.

Yesterday, the religious leader reported no episodes of asthmatic respiratory crisis and some laboratory tests improved.

The Jesuit leader has now spent 11 days in hospital, the longest period since his election in 2013.

The mild renal failure that he has been suffering from since last Sunday is not a cause for concern, the medical report said.

The Pope even resumed his professional activities and called the priest of the Gaza parish to express his support, as he has done often since the start of the Israeli military offensive in the Palestinian territory more than a year ago.

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The patient is also receiving oxygen therapy, "although with a slightly reduced flow and percentage of oxygen," the statement released from Rome stated.

The same medical report admitted that the doctors, given the complexity of the clinical picture, are cautious and have not yet announced the prognosis for the supreme Catholic leader.

The Argentine Pope received the Eucharist early in the morning and resumed his work in the afternoon.

He also thanked all the people who have joined in prayer to ask for his health in recent days.

Yesterday morning, it was reported that Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 88 years old, slept well and rested.

According to the AFP news agency, a Vatican source said that Francis was able to get up and eat normally, that he felt no pain and that his spirits remained good.

Even with this panorama, in Rome and the rest of the world, especially in Latin America, numerous prayers were organized for the health of the Argentine Pope.

The Jesuit was hospitalized on February 14 due to a respiratory infection, which led to bilateral pneumonia, a potentially fatal infection of the lung tissue.

The hospitalisation, the fourth since 2021, has raised serious concerns about the Pope's health, which has already been weakened by a series of problems in recent years, from colon and abdominal operations to difficulties walking.

With information from AFP

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