Pope stable and doing well, Vatican says, despite hospital stay

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
21 Feb 2025 12:10

The Vatican affirms Pope Francis has spent another full night at the hospital in light of his battle with respiratory diseases.

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Pope Francis waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. (AP)

Pope Francis spent the night in the hospital as he battles bronchitis and pneumonia in both lungs, the Vatican announced on Friday, confirming however that it passed by swiftly and with no health complications.

The Pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital last Friday after a week-long struggle with bronchitis worsened. On Monday, doctors determined he was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning a combination of viruses, bacteria, and possibly other organisms had colonized his respiratory system.

"The night went well, this morning Pope Francis got up and had breakfast," the Vatican stated, adding that he had no fever and stable hemodynamic (blood flow) parameters.

The Pope also continues to work with his aides and keep up with his duties. Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the head of Italy's bishops conference, was confident that the Pope was on a steady path to recovery, saying, "The fact that the pope had breakfast, read the newspapers, received people, means that we are on the right path to a full recovery, which we hope will happen soon."

Pope Francis moves to protect legacy amid serious illness: Politico

Regardless, according to Politico, the race to succeed Pope Francis is expected to be extremely contentious, especially considering the pontiff's recent confrontation with Catholic US Vice President JD Vance.

Pope Francis is extremely concerned about his health after being hospitalized and is hurrying to tie up loose ends ahead of the struggle to succeed him.

As his health deteriorated during the final month, Francis raced to finish major programs and promote favorable persons to crucial positions, capping off a progressive-tinted pontificate marred by fierce ideological conflicts.

Before being hospitalized, Francis extended the tenure of Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as dean of the College of Cardinals, a position that will supervise some preparations for a possible conclave, the secretive meeting that determines the election of a new pope. The measure, which controversially avoided a scheduled vote on the next dean by top cardinals, was designed to guarantee that the procedure followed Francis' desires, according to the persons involved.