ROME – Pope Francis remains in stable condition despite a clinical status doctors continue to describe as “complex,” however recent scans have indicated he is improving, and he continues to undergo various therapies.
A March 12 statement from the Vatican said “the clinical conditions of the Holy Father, in the complexity of the general picture, have remained stationary.”
A chest x-ray performed Tuesday, it said, “confirmed radiologically the improvements recorded in the previous days,” mostly blood tests.
Doctors said Monday that Pope Francis’s stability over the past week has meant he is no longer in immediate danger of death, though they said his condition remains complex and he will require several more days of hospitalization.
Despite these improvements, the pope is constantly on oxygen, continuing to receive high-flow therapy through nasal cannulas during the day, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, administered through a mask tightly adhered around the nose and mouth, during the night.
No indication was provided by the pope’s medical team as to when he might be discharged.
Wednesday’s Vatican statement said that in the morning Francis participated in the ongoing March 9-14 spiritual exercises of the Roman Curia, led by Capuchin friar and biblical scholar Father Roberto Pasolini, via video connection with the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
Afterward, he received the Eucharist and spent time in prayer before resuming motor physiotherapy.
In the afternoon, the Vatican said, the pope again followed the curial spiritual exercises and alternated between prayer, rest, and his ongoing respiratory physiotherapy.
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for the treatment of bronchitis, with doctors later diagnosing a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia that have caused several respiratory crises throughout his nearly month-long hospital stay.
Francis, 88, is missing part of one lung and suffers from chronic respiratory difficulties that often leave him breathless and unable to read prepared speeches himself.
Doctors treating the pope said in a Feb. 21 press conference that regardless of the outcome of his current hospitalization, Francis would continue to struggle with asthmatic bronchitis as a chronic condition.
He has suffered from bronchitis and respiratory illnesses with increased frequency over the past two years, especially since a March 2023 hospitalization for bronchitis, and in recent months has suffered two falls at his Vatican residence.
In spite of these challenges, Pope Francis, who also suffers from sciatica that often forces him to use a cane or a wheelchair, continues to govern from his hospital room, signing letters and making various appointments.
Various prayers continue to be offered throughout the world for his health and recovery, including a daily rosary led by members of the Roman curia, so far all of them cardinals.
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