Pope Francis, hospitalised for 2 weeks with double pneumonia, is resting after a peaceful night, the Vatican said on Friday.
The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14.
He was initially diagnosed with bronchitis, which later developed right into a more serious condition.
The Vatican stated on Thursday that the Pope’s condition “continued to indicate improvement” but that his prognosis remained guarded.
An unnamed Vatican official noted that Thursday’s statement was the second consecutive one which didn’t describe the Pope’s condition as “critical”, adding, “Maybe we are able to say he has passed essentially the most critical phase.”
Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vatican’s human development office, told La Stampa newspaper that Francis was improving, albeit “slower than what we would love”.
Pope Francis, who has been the top of the Catholic Church since 2013, has experienced several health issues lately.
He uses a wheelchair or walker to get around and has had two intestinal surgeries since 2021.
He is prone to lung infections because of pleurisy he developed as a young adult, which resulted within the removal of a part of one lung.
Double pneumonia, a severe infection affecting each lungs, could cause inflammation and scarring, resulting in respiration difficulties.
The Vatican reported that Francis suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” on Saturday, but there have been no recurrences.
Prayers for his health proceed to be offered from all over the world, with the dean of the College of Cardinals leading nightly Rosary prayers in St. Peter’s Square.
“We are gathered in St. Peter’s Square to wish confidently that God will allow Pope Francis to resume his apostolic service as soon as possible, within the fullness of his physical strength and with that pastoral dynamism that characterises him,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said earlier within the week.
On Wednesday evening, trumpeter Felice Carella and singer Davide Capuano serenaded the pope with a rendition of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ under his tenth floor window.
“For me this just isn’t an easy song, it is a big prayer for the pope in order that he’ll higher,” Capuano said. “These are terrible days and I hope the entire world can pray along with us.”
