Pope Francis remains in a stable condition with recent scans indicating he is continuing to improve as he undergoes various therapies for a clinical status that doctors maintain to be “complex".
His continuing stability and improvement meant that today he was able to participate via video-link in an ongoing Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia.
A March 12 statement from the Vatican said: “the clinical conditions of the Holy Father, in the complexity of the general picture, have remained stationary.”
It noted that a chest X-ray performed on 11 March had “confirmed radiologically the improvements recorded [mostly through blood tests] in the previous days".
Doctors said at the start of the week, on 10 March, that Pope Francis’s stability over the past week has meant he is no longer in immediate danger of death, though they said his condition remains complex and he will require at least several more days of hospitalisation.
Also, despite the improvements, the Pope is constantly on oxygen, continuing to receive high-flow therapy through nasal cannula tubes during the day, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, administered through a mask tightly fitted around the nose and mouth, during the night.
No clear indication was provided by the Pope’s medical team as to when he might be discharged.
Today's Vatican statement said that in the morning Francis participated remotely in the ongoing spiritual retreat exercises of the Roman Curia occurring 9-14 March, led by Capuchin friar and biblical scholar Father Roberto Pasolini, via a video-connection with the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
Afterwards, the Pope received the Eucharist and spent time in prayer before resuming motor physiotherapy.
In the afternoon, the Vatican added, the Pope again followed the curial spiritual exercises and alternated between prayer, rest and his ongoing respiratory physiotherapy.
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 for the treatment of bronchitis, with doctors later diagnosing a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia that have caused several respiratory crises throughout his nearly month-long hospital stay.
The 88-year-old Pope is already missing part of one lung and suffers from chronic respiratory difficulties that often leave him breathless and unable to read prepared speeches himself.
Doctors treating the Pope said in a Feb. 21 press conference that regardless of the outcome of his current hospitalisation, Francis would continue to struggle with asthmatic bronchitis as a chronic condition.
He has suffered from bronchitis and respiratory illnesses with increased frequency over the past two years, especially since a March 2023 hospitalisation for bronchitis, and in recent months has suffered two falls at his Vatican residence.
In spite of these challenges, Pope Francis, who also suffers from sciatica that often forces him to use a cane or a wheelchair, continues to govern from his hospital room, signing letters and making various appointments.
Various prayers continue to be offered throughout the world for his health and recovery, including a daily rosary that so far has been led by cardinal members of the Roman Curia.<br><br><em>Photo: A person prays under heavy rain at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised with pneumonia, Rome, Italy, 12 March 2025. (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
