Pope Francis Apparently has demonstrated “slight improvement” and responds well to continuous oxygen therapy, according to a statement from the Vatican.
The 88-year-old Paus has been in the hospital since 14 February, when he was admitted for respiratory issues that later turned out to be bilateral pneumonia.
Doctors keep the prognosis of the pope under wraps while they continue to evaluate his condition.
Mexican painter Roberto Marquez places a painting by Paus Franciscus that he made outside the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
On Thursday the Pope recorded a message and thanked those who had prayed for his recovery. The recording was “clearly an attempt for him,” said sources of Vatican, pointing out that the sound of the Pope’s oxygen machine could be heard in the audio.
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“We could hear yesterday that he got oxygen through the nose during the audio, he will clearly not read Angelus,” Vatican Sources told Fox News.
Pope Franciscus waves to believers while he leaves the Cercle Cite after a Luxembourg Prime Minister meeting during a four -day apostolic journey in Luxembourg and Belgium, in Luxembourg city on September 26, 2024. (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty)
ASH Wednesday also looked different this year, because the pope was unable to lead the masses. Instead, Cardinal Angelo de Donatis read the homily of the pope aloud in Rome’s Santa Sabrina Basilica.
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The pope had a long time History of respiratory issues. When he was only 21 years old, Pope Francis had removed part of his lung after the development of Pleurisy, which is an inflammation of the membranes that kiss the lungs. Now, according to Vatican sources, he continues to continue therapy for bilateral pneumonia.
The pope has been admitted to hospital with pneumonia and a bronchial infection since 14 February. Candles with the photos of him were laid under the statue of the deceased Pope John Paul II in Rome on February 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Catholics around the world have prayed for Pope Franciscus since he was first admitted to the hospital in February. This includes Vice President JD Vance, who offered a prayer for the Pope during last month’s national prayer breakfast.
“Every day I and my children said a prayer for the Holy Father, and we pray for his health, and we pray for his comfort while working on what seems to be a pretty serious health crisis,” Vance said.
