Pope Francis Stable and Out of Danger? Here’s 88-Year-Old Pontiff’s Latest Health Update by the Vatican- wna24

Rome: Pope Francis, according to the latest health update, is stable and continues to show improvement but has cancelled his appointment delivering the Angelus prayer. Is the 88-year-old pontiff out of danger and will he be discharged soon? Here’s what the Vatican has to say…

Pope Francis remained in stable condition and continued resting on Sunday as he recovered from double pneumonia. He skipped his weekly noon blessing for the third consecutive weekend to avoid a public appearance. Although he could have delivered the Angelus prayer from his hospital suite, the Vatican instead planned to distribute the prepared text. The Vatican’s Sunday update noted that the pope had no fever or elevated white blood cells, indicating no signs of active infection.

According to the doctors on Saturday, the pontiff is in a stable condition and there has been no mention of him being ‘critical’ which shows that he is showing slow but constant improvement. This update comes a day after Pope Francis was put on non-invasive mechanical ventilation following an episode of bronchial spasm – he had a coughing fit and he inhaled his vomit. The respiratory crisis put him in a poor condition, but since then, he has shown a ‘good response’ in his gas exchange levels and was also able to remain off the ventilation for ‘long periods’. 

Pope Francis has been on oxygen support, but has only been using high-flow supplemental oxygen. The pope, who had part of a lung removed in his youth, suffers from lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli on February 14 after bronchitis developed into severe pneumonia in both lungs. As he remains hospitalized, prayers continue to pour in. 

Pope Francis, 88, has been hospitalized for double pneumonia since February 14, with global prayers for his recovery. In recent years, he has limited his participation in Ash Wednesday and Holy Week events due to bronchitis and influenza, as these ceremonies require being outdoors in cold weather.