Pope Francis Presents with "sudden worsening of the respiratory picture" on Friday: Vatican Updates

For the fourth night in a row the cardinals residing in Rome gather with hundreds of faithful in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m. for the recitation of the rosary for the health of Pope Francis.

The prayer is presided over by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina celebrates Mass at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Church of San Marcello al Corso in Rome.

The church houses the crucifix that was used during the extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing on March 27, 2020, in St. Peter’s Square during the “Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in a Time of Epidemic” presided over by Pope Francis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The crucifix, so dear to the Holy Father, was invoked in prayer for the gift of health for the beloved bishop of Rome.

The Vatican in an update on Thursday evening Rome time says Pope Francis’ condition is “improving.” Due to his overall complex medical condition, however, the statement says “further days of clinical stability” are needed for a change in his current critical prognosis.

“Today he alternated high-flow oxygen therapy with a ventimask,” the statement says. After resting, on Thursday afternoon the Holy Father went to the chapel in his private apartment on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital in Rome for prayer and to receive the Eucharist before attending “to work activities,” the statement concludes.

Pope Francis is resting well at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been treated for a respiratory infection for 13 nights. Vatican officials report Thursday morning he “slept well overnight” and his condition is improving, though they maintain “the prognosis remains cautious.”

During his hospitalization, a touching letter the pope wrote to a grieving mother has surfaced. “Jesus, who weeps with us, will sow in our hearts all the answers we seek,” Francis wrote to Cinzia, whose 21-year-old son never returned home after an evening out in 2019.

Prayer vigils continue with the holy rosary scheduled for tonight at 9 p.m. Rome time in St. Peter’s Square, to be presided over by Cardinal Baldassare Reina.

Meanwhile, the Vatican has canceled the jubilee audience planned for Saturday, March 1, due to the pope’s continued hospitalization.

For the third night in a row, pilgrims gather at 9 p.m. to pray the rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican — the same place where almost five years ago Pope Francis prayed for the world during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Wednesday’s evening rosary is led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

Pope Francis’ condition over the last day “has shown further slight improvement,” the Holy See Press Office states in an update Wednesday evening Rome time.

A chest CT scan performed at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday “showed a normal evolution of the pulmonary inflammatory picture,” the statement says. The mild kidney failure the pope has experienced “has receded.”

While the pope continues “high-flow oxygen therapy,” the statement says, he has not experienced any respiratory crises.

“While registering a slight improvement, the prognosis remains reserved,” the statement says.

Pope Francis received the Eucharist in the morning and “the afternoon was devoted to work activities,” the statement concludes.

The Holy See Press Office informs journalists Wednesday morning that Pope Francis has another quiet night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and continues to rest, as his condition remains critical but stable while receiving treatment for double pneumonia.

“The pope had a quiet night and is resting,” the Holy See Press Office tells journalists on Wednesday morning.

The Tuesday evening update on Pope Francis’ health notes that his “clinical condition remains critical but stable. There have been no acute respiratory episodes, and hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable.”

“In the evening, he underwent a scheduled CT scan to radiologically monitor the bilateral pneumonia.

Twice-daily statements have kept the faithful informed about the pope’s health since he was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Friday, Feb. 14, following a bout of bronchitis.

The 88-year-old is currently being treated for double pneumonia, and a health update last week noted that he is also showing signs of mild renal insufficiency, which appears to be under control.

A hospital Holy Hour is one of many prayer initiatives that have sprung up in the Eternal City as the pope remains in critical condition and the global Catholic community continues to offer fervent prayers for him.

The daily Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration is being held just floors below where Pope Francis, 88, is receiving treatment for pneumonia and early-stage kidney failure — marking the most extended hospitalization of his pontificate.

Pope Francis continues to be in serious but stable condition as he concludes his 12th day in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said.

In the latest communication on the 88-year-old pope’s health, issued on the evening of Feb. 25, doctors said his “clinical condition remains critical but stationary,” without any acute respiratory episodes.

It added that Francis’ hemodynamic parameters — that is, how his blood flows through the blood vessels — is also stable, and he underwent a follow-up CT scan on Tuesday to monitor his lungs following a pneumonia diagnosis last week.

After receiving the Eucharist in the morning, Pope Francis also “resumed work activities,” the message concluded.

Pope Francis spent a peaceful 11th night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, with Vatican officials reporting Tuesday morning that the pontiff “rested well throughout the night.”

The brief statement follows Monday evening’s announcement from the Vatican press office indicating a “slight improvement” in what they continue to describe as the Holy Father’s “critical health condition.”

Hundreds of Catholics gathered in Rome on Monday evening for the first scheduled prayer service in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’ health and recovery.

According to Vatican sources, Francis has experienced no further episodes of respiratory distress since his last reported asthmatic episode on Saturday. While oxygen therapy continues, officials confirmed it has been “slightly reduced” in intensity.

The pontiff was admitted to Gemelli Hospital 11 days ago, requiring careful and continuous monitoring by medical staff.

EWTN News White House Correspondent Owen Jensen asks President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who was visiting the White House for meetings on Monday, if they had a message for Pope Francis:

Hundreds of Catholics gather in Rome on Monday evening for the first scheduled prayer service in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’ health and recovery.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin leads the inaugural gathering, which is scheduled to take place nightly at 9 p.m., organized by cardinals living in Rome.

Present at the rosary on Monday are Cardinals Becciu, Muller, Ouellet, Prevost, Versaldi, De Mendonca, Baggio, Artime, Feroci, Bagnasco, Marchetto, Burke, Semeraro, Tagle, Arinze, You Heung Sik, Re, Roche, Reina, and Frezza.

The crowd sings the Salve Regina at the end of the service:

Pope Francis’ condition remains serious but has shown “slight improvement” as he continues treatment on his 11th day in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Monday evening.

The 88-year-old pontiff is still receiving oxygen therapy through his nose, though at a slightly reduced flow and concentration, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Doctors reported no further episodes of respiratory distress following a “respiratory crisis” on Saturday. Some of the pope’s laboratory tests have improved, and his “mild kidney insufficiency” remains under observation but is not a cause for concern, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis received the Eucharist on Monday morning and resumed some work in the afternoon. Later in the day, he called the parish priest in Gaza to express his solidarity.

Prayers for the pope’s recovery have continued worldwide since he was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14. 

At Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where Francis is being treated, the chaplain led prayers and Eucharistic adoration at the St. John Paul II Chapel on Monday, followed by a Mass.

The Vatican announces a new prayer initiative for Pope Francis, with cardinals leading a nightly rosary in St. Peter’s Square starting at 9 p.m. Rome time today. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, will preside over tonight’s first gathering.

While his condition remains critical, Vatican sources report on Monday the Holy Father had a “peaceful night” and is “in good spirits” at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The pope continues to receive supplemental oxygen and is being monitored for mild early-stage kidney insufficiency. Both conditions are currently under control, following Saturday’s concerning episode that required a blood transfusion due to anemia.

For those wanting to join the cardinals and other Catholics in the rosary for the pontiff, the prayer will be broadcast live on all EWTN television channels worldwide and through the network’s digital platforms, including the EWTN app and YouTube channel.

Pope Francis spends a peaceful night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Holy See Press Office tells journalists Monday morning.

”The night went well, the Pope has slept and is resting,” the Vatican says in its latest update on the pontiff’s condition.

Prayers for the pope's recovery continue across Rome, where Cardinal Baldassare Reina celebrated Mass Sunday at the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the Holy Father’s recovery.

Pope Francis also received dozens of get-well cards and hand-drawn greetings from schoolchildren in Rome on Sunday.

Pope Francis’ condition “remains critical,” the Holy See Press Office says in a statement issued Sunday evening Rome time. However, it says he experienced “no further respiratory crisis” since Saturday.

The statement also says the Holy Father “continues to be alert and well oriented” and continues to receive oxygen therapy “at high flows” through his nose.

Since his situation is “complex,” the statement says, the pope’s prognosis “remains reserved.” His blood platelet count remained stable, the statement continues, but some blood tests showed “initial, mild, renal [kidney] failure” that is presently under control.

This morning the pope participated in Mass along with those who are caring for him at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the statement said.