Pope stable in hospital and ‘asks for prayers’, Vatican says – as doctors treat ‘complex’ infection

The pope’s condition is “stable” and he is “touched by messages of affection”, the Vatican has said in an update amid his hospital stay.

Earlier on Monday, the Vatican said Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection is presenting a “complex clinical picture” and he will need to remain in hospital. Concerns have been growing about the 88-year-old’s increasingly frail health.

Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the results of tests conducted in recent days indicate the pontiff is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection” that needed a further change in his drug therapy.

Polymicrobial infections are caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.

In a later update on Monday, the Vatican said his clinical conditions are stable and that he “read and worked” on Monday morning, adding “he’s touched by the numerous messages of affection and closeness that he continues to receive in these hours”.

“In particular he intends to thank those who are currently hospitalised, for the affection and love that they express through the drawings and good wishes; he prays for them and asks that they pray for him.”

It was not specified earlier whether the pope was suffering from a bacterial or viral infection.

There was no length of time given for the pope’s hospitalisation, but the spokesman added the complexity of his symptoms “will require an appropriate hospital stay”.

The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a “fair” condition on Friday to be treated for a respiratory tract infection.

His doctors have advised complete rest. He was unable to deliver his regular weekly prayer on Sunday to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square or lead a special mass for artists to mark the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year.

On social media at the weekend, the pope wrote: “Thank you for the affection, prayer and closeness with which you accompany me in these days.”

The pope had been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week before he was taken to hospital.

He is said to have insisted on finishing his morning audiences on Friday before leaving the Vatican to be admitted to hospital.

The pope was finding it increasingly difficult to complete speeches and commitments last week because he was short of breath.

‘Pope sounded a bit tired’

However, from his hospital bed at the weekend, the pope continued to make phone calls to members of a Catholic parish in Gaza, Italian broadcaster Mediaset reported.

A parish member said the pope had called on both Friday and Saturday and was in “good humour” but sounded “a bit tired”.

The pope’s next scheduled appointment is his weekly general audience on Wednesday.

He is then due to preside on Sunday at the ordination of deacons as part of a Holy Year weekend.

Both commitments remain on the official Vatican schedule, but appear to be in doubt.

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The pontiff is being treated at Rome’s largest hospital in a suite designed for popes.

The Argentinian pope had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man.

When he had a bad case of pneumonia in 2023, he left hospital after three days – he later said he had been admitted after feeling faint and having a sharp pain in his chest.

In the same year, Pope Francis spent nine days at the Gemelli hospital when he had surgery for an abdominal hernia.

Age making it harder for Pope to beat infections

Tom Clarke

Science and technology editor

@t0mclark3

As we age, our ability to fight off infections or ailments that wouldn’t have troubled us before gradually diminishes.

Pope Francis is 88 and unlike many people lucky enough to live that long, has a demanding job that likely leaves less time for the rest that our bodies, especially ageing ones, need.

The latest update from the Vatican suggests he isn’t gravely ill – able to sit up and eat breakfast – but that his doctors have concluded the bronchitis he is suffering will require a longer hospital stay.

Bronchitis – an inflammation of the main airways leading to the lungs – can be severe as it can narrow those pipes leading to difficulty breathing.

It’s only a real concern if the infection doesn’t respond well to treatment and spreads deeper into the lungs themselves causing pneumonia.

The Vatican has said the pope’s infection is “polymicrobial” meaning more than one type of microbe (bacteria, virus or fungal agent) has been identified.

That will mean adjusting the types of medication used to treat the infection, which in some cases can be tricky, especially if one of the bugs is resistant to common antimicrobial drugs – something that is increasingly common.

The pope is possibly more vulnerable to lung infections than a person of equivalent age as he had part of one lung removed following a severe infection when he was just 21.

He was previously hospitalised in 2023 with pneumonia and made a good recovery.

Beyond that, it’s unwise for anyone to pontificate on anyone’s personal health, least of all the pontiff’s.