Pope Francis “rested well all night” after feeling better, according to the latest report

The Tuesday morning report on the health of Pope Francis, who has been admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital for 11 days, simply states that there is no news after Monday's bulletin, which indicated a "slight improvement" : "The Pope has rested well all night." A statement with more clinical details will arrive at 7 p.m., barring any unforeseen events.

In its brevity, as is now customary in the first morning announcement, it means that the slow recovery of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 88, continues. He suffers from bilateral pneumonia , is in “critical” condition and on Saturday suffered a worrying relapse. The Pope suffered a prolonged respiratory crisis, symptoms of anemia and an initial mild renal failure. But all these complications seemed to be overcome on Monday, when for the first time the medical report in the afternoon was openly positive. It indicated a “slight improvement” within his “critical” condition and his reserved prognosis. It pointed out several notable advances: no more asthmatic respiratory crises had been recorded, some laboratory tests had improved and the renal failure “is not a cause for concern,” said the statement.

The note also said that “oxygen therapy continues, but with a slightly reduced flow and percentage of oxygen.” It also stressed that the Pope had returned to work, another sign of a return to normality, and had made a phone call, as on other days, to the Catholic parish in Gaza, where several hundred Palestinian Christians are taking refuge, to show their support. This report reinforced the optimism that had already begun in the morning, when the Vatican commented that the Pope “is in good spirits, is not in pain and is continuing with therapy,” after having had a good night.

The general picture is that the antibiotic and anti-pneumonia drugs seem to be working, but relapses are still possible and Francis needs time to get out of danger. “He is like an 88-year-old man with a polymicrobial infection: viruses, fungi and bacteria,” the doctors said on Friday , adding that the Pope has no other pathology and his heart “is perfect.”

The Pope, who has suffered from respiratory problems whenever the cold weather sets in since 2023 , was admitted to hospital on February 14 after suffering from bronchitis for at least ten days that had not fully resolved. This was also due, in part, to his insistence on continuing to maintain his usual work rhythm. He himself said in a public audience that he was suffering from bronchitis; he had difficulty breathing and on two occasions he delegated the reading of his speech. On Sunday, February 9, he even presided over the open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square, despite the intense cold. Finally, on February 14, after maintaining the scheduled audiences and given that breathing and speaking were becoming increasingly tiring, he decided to go to the Gemelli hospital.