The Pope “stays in good spirits” despite his hospitalisation for double pneumonia, an announcement from the Holy See said on Tuesday evening.
Pope Francis has been in hospital since last Friday, when he was admitted for bronchitis. He has since undergone various scans and is receiving antibiotics.
A press release from the Holy See Press Office said that laboratory tests, chest X-rays and “the clinical condition of the Holy Father proceed to present a posh picture”.
This has added to the complexity of the treatment currently being given to the Pope. The Holy See said that the Pope’s “polymicrobial infection, which has arisen within the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and has required the usage of corticosteroid and antibiotics, makes the therapeutic treatment more complex”.
Another CT scan on Tuesday afternoon confirmed “the onset of bilateral pneumonia, requiring additional pharmacological therapy”.
“Nevertheless, Pope Francis stays in good spirits,” the statement said.
He has “received the Eucharist and, throughout the day, alternated between rest, prayer, and reading”, it continued.
“He expresses his gratitude for the support he feels right now and kindly asks that prayers for him proceed,” the statement concluded.
The Anglican Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has written to Cardinal Vincent Nichols on behalf of the Church of England, expressing his prayers for the health of Pope Francis.
“We are praying for and swift recovery, for his comfort and peace, and in addition for all those that are likely to him and minister to him,” said the Archbishop.
In response, Cardinal Nichols said that prayer was a strength to the Pope.
“In these times, when the burden of his office weighs ever more heavily, the Holy Father is strengthened by the prayerful support of so many,” he said.
“Your words, full of charity and fraternal care, are a testament to the deep bonds that unite us in Christ.”
