NEW: Pope Francis Gets Encouraging Medical Update
Doctors announced Monday that Pope Francis is no longer in imminent danger of death as he continues to recover from pneumonia. The decision has also been made to keep him hospitalized for at least the next several days as the 88-year-old receives additional treatment and monitoring.
In the latest update, doctors reported that the pontiff remains in stable condition and has continuously made improvements in recent days, as determined by blood tests and positive responses to treatment.
“However, in view of the complexity of the clinical picture and the important infectious picture presented on admission, it will be necessary to continue medical drug therapy in a hospital setting for additional days,” the Vatican said in a statement.
From his hospital bed, Francis followed along with the Vatican’s weeklong spiritual retreat via videoconference on Monday as he continues to recover. As of this report, the pope has been hospitalized for 25 days after he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14, 2025 for a respiratory infection.
Francis’ condition soon worsened and he was ultimately diagnosed with double pneumonia after scans found infections in both lungs. While he has kept in touch with day-to-day activities and has held numerous conversations with church leaders, his condition has been described as “critical” at numerous points throughout the ordeal.
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On Sunday, Francis once again phoned in and participated in the retreat remotely from his Rome hospital bed. He was able to listen along as Rev. Roberto Pasolini, preacher of the papal household, though priests, bishops and cardinals gathered for the retreat in the Vatican auditorium could not see or hear him.
Pasolini will be delivering a series of meditations this week on “The hope of eternal life,” a theme that was chosen by Pope Francis long before his hospitalization, according to a report from Newsmax.
In its early update Monday, the Vatican announced that Francis was resuming his physical and respiratory therapy at the Gemelli hospital after a quiet night. The pontiff has been receiving supplemental oxygen through a nasal tube to help him breathe during the day, while doctors have deployed a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask for nighttime breathing assistance.
Pope Francis, 88, is particularly vulnerable to respiratory conditions after he had a portion of his lung removed following an intense bout of bronchitis during his youth.
Also on Monday, a cardinal close to Francis provided an encouraging update concerning the pope’s continued recovery and positive responses to treatment. The Vatican development office released a letter written by Cardinal Michael Czerny to one of Francis’ close friends, the Argentine social justice activist Juan Grabois.
Grabois had travelled to Rome to participate in prayer services for the pope with members of the clergy last week. According to one report, Grabois at one point tried to forcefully gain access to Francis’ hospital bed, a claim he has denied.
In the March 6 letter, Czerny told Grabois that Francis “knew of your presence in Rome and your daily vigils of prayer and spiritual solidarity at Gemelli Polyclinic and I’m sure this gave him a true comfort and support.”
“Additionally, I know that you join me in strongly repudiating the unfounded versions that have circulated in some media about alleged inappropriate behavior in the hospital,” Czerny wrote.