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Pope Francis Rests Well, Drinks Coffee, Reads Newspapers as Pneumonia Treatment Progresses

The chapel at Gemelli Hosptial in Rome bears the name and contains a relic of another pope who knew these corridors well: St. John Paul II. The Polish pontiff was hospitalized here multiple times, including after an assassination attempt in 1981.

Pope Francis spent a restful night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and has begun his daily treatments after waking Monday morning, having breakfast with coffee and reading newspapers as part of his normal routine, according to Vatican sources.

The pope’s condition remains stable, with Vatican sources reporting that his bilateral pneumonia is neither worsening nor causing immediate concern. No special examinations beyond routine daily tests are currently scheduled.

Recovery for the 88-year-old Holy Father “will certainly not be imminent,” Vatican officials cautioned, indicating a potentially extended hospital stay as the pope continues to receive medical care.

Regarding the upcoming spiritual exercises scheduled for next Sunday, Vatican sources stated that no decisions have been made about how the pope might participate in these Lenten observances.

The faithful will gather in St. Peter’s Square this evening to pray for the pope’s recovery. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, will lead the recitation of the holy rosary at 9 p.m.

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Marco Mancini contributed to this report.

AC Wimmer is the News Editor for Europe and Asia at EWTN News. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, served as editor-in-chief of several news media outlets. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, the veteran journalist is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at his alma mater and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.