The Pope in critical but stable condition

"The clinical conditions of the Holy Father remain critical, but stable. No acute respiratory episodes have occurred and the hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable." This is according to the Medical Bulletin released this evening by the Vatican Press Office.

Yesterday, Pope Francis received Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Substitute Msgr. Edgar Pena Parra . "During the audience granted to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Msgr. Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs," the Pope authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate some decrees on saints.

Among these is the decree regarding "the offering of the life of the servant of God Salvo D'Acquisto, a lay faithful, born in Naples on 15 October 1920 and died in Palidoro on 23 September 1943". At this point, all that is missing is the recognition of a miracle.

This is an unprecedented decision because normally the person who submits the decrees of the saints to the Pope is the cardinal with the title of the Dicastery of Saints, currently Marcello Semeraro.

It is therefore likely that the Pope spoke with the most important members of the Secretariat of State about other issues as well.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle , Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will lead the rosary this evening at 9 pm in St. Peter's Square for the health of the Pope .

"It seems to me that there is no reason to talk about resignation or to hypothesize it." This is what Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said to the microphones of Rtl 102.5. Speaking about the prayer chain for the Pope's health, the cardinal added: "If the world has stopped to pray, it is a very great thing: a prayer chain that has been raised to the Lord precisely for the Holy Father Francis in this very delicate moment."

"According to medical reports, the Pope's health conditions are slightly improving. We continue to pray that he will continue to improve, until he is completely healed and returns to his ministry," concludes Bagnasco.

Geriatrician: "The Pope is in serious condition but the situation is not critical, there is no sepsis"

The Pope's clinical situation "certainly remains serious and important but I wouldn't say critical and, at the moment, I don't believe there are signs of an initial sepsis condition". This was stated by the president of the Italian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SIGG), Dario Leosco, commenting on the latest bulletin on Pope Francis's conditions which reports a 'slight improvement'. The Pope, he told ANSA, "is demonstrating that he has a strong temperament and is reacting, and this is positive. But this clinical condition could continue for a long time, given the complex picture, and I agree with the fact that the prognosis remains reserved". "The episodes of respiratory crisis that the Pope has had - explains Leosco - are due to the asthmatic component which causes a restriction of the airways, or bronchoconstriction. Therefore, the worsening seen yesterday is not justified by the lack of control of the respiratory infection, but rather by the condition of the bronchi which is critical and can only be controlled by the administration of cortisone drugs". The fact that the Pontiff "enters and exits these alternating patterns of worsening of the respiratory condition - the geriatrician notes - appears to be more linked to the asthmatic component and therefore may not be linked to the lack of response to antibiotic therapy". As for the anemia, "the infection in itself causes a depression of the activity of the marrow and therefore a reduction in the production of blood cells, as does the fact that he is subjected to massive antibiotic therapy".

In any case, the expert reiterates, "if we go from an unstable situation to a more stable one, as it seems to be happening, I believe that there are no elements that can predict a condition of sepsis at the moment. Sepsis is in fact a serious condition that does not resolve itself in the short term. Therefore it seems to me that the general clinical picture is not to be linked to a septic problem. Oxygen therapy remains necessary to maintain an acceptable condition of respiratory parameters". The risk, however, is that the Pope will persist in this 'fluctuating' but substantially critical clinical picture: "Overcoming the current critical condition - says Leosco - depends on the progress of the lung infection which is expressed by the systemic inflammatory indices, therefore by the blood count, white blood cells and C-reactive protein. The response to antibiotic therapy depends on the progress of these parameters, which are not currently disclosed in the bulletin. These are therefore decisive hours to evaluate the response to antibiotic therapy". In any case, "even in the face of a strong temperament like that of the Pontiff - concludes President Sigg - this critical condition could last a long time".