VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Doctors said there has been a “slight improvement” in Pope Francis’ condition on Monday (Feb. 24) after he suffered a respiratory crisis and blood work showed initial signs of kidney failure over the weekend. Despite the promising report, however, the doctors said their prognosis remains guarded.
“The critical clinical conditions of the Holy Father demonstrate a slight improvement,” read a statement by the medical team issued by the Vatican. The pope did not have another episode of asthmatic respiratory crisis, and the laboratory tests have also improved, the statement added.
Francis admitted himself to the hospital Feb. 14 after suffering from bronchitis for more than a week. At Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where popes are traditionally treated, doctors found that he had a polymicrobial infection that caused pneumonia in both lungs. Medical experts were hopeful that the 88-year-old pontiff would recover, but Francis’ health suffered a reversal on Saturday (Feb. 21), when he had a prolonged asthmatic respiratory attack.
Blood tests also found low levels of platelets in the pope’s blood and symptoms of kidney failure, which raised alarms that the infection in his respiratory tract was impacting other vital organs. But on Monday, following observation, doctors said the mild failure of the kidney “is not a cause for concern.”
He has been given oxygen since the respiratory attack, which the doctors said was continuing, “although with slightly reduced flows and percentage of oxygen,” their statement said. Given the pope’s preexisting conditions, including having a portion of his right lung removed when he was a youth in Argentina, the doctors have opted for “prudence” when discussing outcomes.
Candles, flowers and notes are left for Pope Francis under a statue of St. John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (RNS photo/Claire Giangravé)
The statement said Francis received the Eucharist on Monday morning and resumed his work in the afternoon. He also returned to his daily routine of calling the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, the statement said, “to express his fatherly closeness.”
Thousands of faithful, including patients of the Gemelli Hospital, have communicated their prayers for the pope’s health and recovery during the 10 days of his hospitalization, placing flowers, notes and candles near the statue of his predecessor, St. Pope John Paul II, at the main entrance.
“Us young people are very, very close to Pope Francis for what he did for us, the open-mindedness he brought and the progress he ushered into the church,” said Giuseppe Ciavarella, 21, who studies at Universitá Cattolica medical school, whose campus is at Gemelli Hospital.
“For us who live in the campus of the Cattolica feel as if he were being treated in our home, so we feel like we are close to him in this moment, and we also see how the entire world mobilized to follow his situation,” said Michele Ferrantino, 22, another student.
Dario Russo, 20, who is also a student, said Francis stands as an example. “He taught us to give a lot to others, to be open toward everyone,” he said.
Aurora Ceccarelli, 28, said it was her “duty” to come to the hospital and pray for the pope, whom she met and was struck by a few years prior. “He is exceptional in every way. He is close to people, he made us feel united, he was with us through many hard times, during the pandemic and the wars, he is a symbol in every way. He is different from everyone else,” she said.
“I pray that he may get better soon and return to his duties,” she added.
Another woman from Latin America, who refused to comment on the pope’s health, cried silently as she prayed for Francis.
The pope “thanks all the people of God who have gathered in recent days to pray for his health,” the Vatican statement said. Vatican cardinals and faithful in Rome gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday evening to pray the rosary for the pope, led by the No. 2 Vatican official, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
