Something is wrong with the Pope…

[Ravenlocke]

On Christmas Eve I was up late and I happened to catch the Midnight mass on public television, that was taped from the St Peter’s Basilica and with the pope presiding.
It was already a coincidence that I caught this on tv because I never do but somehow it got my curiosity as well as nostalgia from my childhood and younger years of attending midnight mass with my parents many years ago.

I enjoyed the sistene choir music. As I observed and listened to the priest that interpreted the readings etc, what got my attention the most was observing the pope every time the camera was turned on him.
He looked forlorn and dejected to me. That’s how I’d describe him. There was a grayness about him I cannot explain other than there’s something wrong with him. He’s not this assertive , in charge person, just what looks to me a broken person. I was even surprised when I heard his voice reading his sermon. It was a soft voice and no passion, just hurriedly reading through the papers he held in his hand.

At the end he was wheeled out in a wheelchair because his knee needs surgery. He really looked sad to me. I don’t think he was acting this up either. He must know something that’s making him look kind of broken or maybe it’s just a simple explanation of old age caught up with him. Whatever secret is doing that to him I don’t know. I know he is old but I was surprised by his demeanor.
Who knows…..is it just my imagination?

[JackMcThorn]

I was brought up Catholic and remember Midnight Mass also. [My faith has changed over the years for reasons.] Ireland is very Catholic [as you probably already know] and the Pope is in the news from time to time but I would point out that he was in the news in the past couple weeks here in case you are interested to see. I think he is 86 years old now and he might just be succumbing to the age. Catholicism dominates the belief system in Ireland and recently Catholics outnumbered protestants in Northern Ireland for the first time ever this past year. It is not because they were growing, it is because the protestants population was shrinking.

This was in the Irish state media on December the 25th:
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1225/1343670-pope/

This was in the Irish state media on December the 18th:
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1218/1342568-pope-francis/

[Eagle Eye]

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."


Idolatry in plain sight.


https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/CNA_5e04f49bd9bfe_175177.jpg?w=670&h=447



This was their last show, but it was always like this, since vatican introduced the worshipping of the statue of Jesus in cross. They never followed what Jesus taught people about God.

[aKnightThatSaysNi]

On Christmas Eve I was up late and I happened to catch the Midnight mass on public television, that was taped from the St Peter’s Basilica and with the pope presiding.
It was already a coincidence that I caught this on tv because I never do but somehow it got my curiosity as well as nostalgia from my childhood and younger years of attending midnight mass with my parents many years ago.

I enjoyed the sistene choir music. As I observed and listened to the priest that interpreted the readings etc, what got my attention the most was observing the pope every time the camera was turned on him.
He looked forlorn and dejected to me. That’s how I’d describe him. There was a grayness about him I cannot explain other than there’s something wrong with him. He’s not this assertive , in charge person, just what looks to me a broken person. I was even surprised when I heard his voice reading his sermon. It was a soft voice and no passion, just hurriedly reading through the papers he held in his hand.

At the end he was wheeled out in a wheelchair because his knee needs surgery. He really looked sad to me. I don’t think he was acting this up either. He must know something that’s making him look kind of broken or maybe it’s just a simple explanation of old age caught up with him. Whatever secret is doing that to him I don’t know. I know he is old but I was surprised by his demeanor.
Who knows…..is it just my imagination?

I am generally new to Catholicism and was introduced from more of an historical perspective. I do feel the religion itself has been abused and taken advantage of due to its sheer power and nothing makes me think things are different today. That being said, it could just be that maybe he feels he has been defeated. I have not done enough research to speak on the issues but there is a severe tare in the Church and many do see Francis and the direction he has moved as being more a symbol of the anti-Pope.

If he is the anti Pope, well, Church attendance among the faithful has grown in many areas despite Francis. It is standing room only in the 3 Latin style masses in my area, something unheard of, except for Christmas or Easter 10 years ago. This is something that Benedict brought back and Francis has tried to oppress. The admiration for this Pope is just not as strong among Catholics.

Now, if he is not the anti Pope and he really feels his ways are just and right with God, then wouldn't this also leave him feeling defeated? He wrote of ‘the evil that quietly lurks among us’ just recently. In his mind, maybe he lost that battle.

[Ravenlocke]

I was brought up Catholic and remember Midnight Mass also. [My faith has changed over the years for reasons.] Ireland is very Catholic [as you probably already know] and the Pope is in the news from time to time but I would point out that he was in the news in the past couple weeks here in case you are interested to see. I think he is 86 years old now and he might just be succumbing to the age. Catholicism dominates the belief system in Ireland and recently Catholics outnumbered protestants in Northern Ireland for the first time ever this past year. It is not because they were growing, it is because the protestants population was shrinking.

This was in the Irish state media on December the 25th:
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1225/1343670-pope/

This was in the Irish state media on December the 18th:
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1218/1342568-pope-francis/

Thank you for those articles because I do not keep up with the pope news.

I can tell you the picture in that media article from December 25th, the pope looks a lot brighter than the pope I saw at the midnight mass.

Also I didn’t know he gave his resignation letter in 2013, thank you for that news.

And thank you for that information about more Catholics in Ireland, I didn’t know that.

Something else I noticed while watching the mass is that when they started to pass holy communion to the congregation the camera kept going back to the pope and always his left side of his face and there was a small patch of dried blood on his neck under his ear, like from a shaving cut. Only reason I remember this clearly is they kept showing it and also I was surprised because I assumed the pope has assistants to help him dress and wouldn’t someone have noticed this before mass?

[Ravenlocke]

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."


Idolatry in plain sight.


https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/CNA_5e04f49bd9bfe_175177.jpg?w=670&h=447



This was their last show, but it was always like this, since vatican introduced the worshipping of the statue of Jesus in cross. They never followed what Jesus taught people about God.

The baby Jesus he carried to the crèche after mass was not the one in this picture. The one at midnight mass had longer hair and light colored eyes. The pope carried it in his lap, as he sat in the wheelchair and he kissed it before the assistant took it to place in the crèche. They also had young children, boys and girls from various countries that walked alongside the pope as he was wheeled down the aisle to the crèche.

[Spiral]

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."


Idolatry in plain sight.


https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/CNA_5e04f49bd9bfe_175177.jpg?w=670&h=447



This was their last show, but it was always like this, since vatican introduced the worshipping of the statue of Jesus in cross. They never followed what Jesus taught people about God.

You clearly don't know what an idol is nor what the Catholic position is on statues and images, you can't just transpose your own beliefs onto such things as being facts, when they aren't.

These objects aren't idols and Catholics don't worship them.

[Eagle Eye]

You clearly don't know what an idol is nor what the Catholic position is on statues and images, you can't just transpose your own beliefs onto such things as being facts, when they aren't.
These objects aren't idols and Catholics don't worship them.

To follow that commandment someone has to prove to be ready to break every carved image in pieces. Can they break in pieces that statue, a Jesus statue or even the cross?! I don't think so.
They are ready to break the commandment, but not the carved image. So be very careful about the Vatican and who they represent.

[Spiral]

He looked a lot better earlier, I think it could be put down to a very long day and age, I couldn't do a two hour mass late at night, even with a wheelchair.

XprzZZBWymE

Full midnight mass

IGsmWazlfY4

[Spiral]

You clearly don't know what an idol is nor what the Catholic position is on statues and images, you can't just transpose your own beliefs onto such things as being facts, when they aren't.
These objects aren't idols and Catholics don't worship them.

To follow that commandment someone has to prove to be ready to brake every carved image in pieces. Can they brake in pieces that statue, a Jesus statue or even the cross?! I don't think so.
They are ready to break the commandment, but not the carved image. So be very careful about the Vatican and who they represent.

Like I said previously you don't understand what an idol is. An idol is NOT just any image, be it a picture or a statue. Statues and carvings are just that, they are not idols, just because you mistakenly believe the two are the same thing doesn't make them so.

Idols are something that goes back to thousands of years ago, they were created by elaborate magical rites that caused a spirit to be trapped within a statue, the spirit was then appeased in various ways in return for "favours" of a magical nature.

Carving, sculpting or painting doesn't create an idol, it creates art, not the same thing at all.

[Eagle Eye]

Like I said previously you don't understand what an idol is. An idol is NOT just any image, be it a picture or a statue. Statues and carvings are just that, they are not idols, just because you mistakenly believe the two are the same thing doesn't make them so.

Idols are something that goes back to thousands of years ago, they were created by elaborate magical rites that caused a spirit to be trapped within a statue, the spirit was then appeased in various ways in return for "favours" of a magical nature.

Carving, sculpting or painting doesn't create an idol, it creates art, not the same thing at all.

If you answer my question, you will know what an idol is. The statue of Jesus in cross is an idol, every church has normalised the worshipping of Jesus in Cross and Vatican has invented this ritual. Jesus prayed and worshipped God ( the Father, the Creator of the worlds) and yet people continue to break two of the most important commandments, because Vatican has normalised these rituals and changed what Jesus taught.

[Spiral]

Like I said previously you don't understand what an idol is. An idol is NOT just any image, be it a picture or a statue. Statues and carvings are just that, they are not idols, just because you mistakenly believe the two are the same thing doesn't make them so.

Idols are something that goes back to thousands of years ago, they were created by elaborate magical rites that caused a spirit to be trapped within a statue, the spirit was then appeased in various ways in return for "favours" of a magical nature.

Carving, sculpting or painting doesn't create an idol, it creates art, not the same thing at all.

If you answer my question, you will know what an idol is. The statue of Jesus in cross is an idol, every church has normalised the worshipping of Jesus in Cross and Vatican has invented this ritual. Jesus prayed and worshipped God ( the Father, the Creator of the worlds) and yet people continue to break two of the most important commandments, because Vatican has normalised these rituals and changed what Jesus taught.

If you aren't going to look any of this up & just believe what ignorant people say about Catholicism without any knowledge, or experience there is no point going any further with this futile exchange. Like many people who make huge presumptions when attacking the Catholic faith & practices you don't know what you are talking about.

[Kryztian]

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."

Idolatry in plain sight.

This was their last show, but it was always like this, since vatican introduced the worshipping of the statue of Jesus in cross. They never followed what Jesus taught people about God.

Your comment is off topic and disruptive. The topic here is about the health of Pope Frances, not about your fundamentalist views and condemnation of other religious practices. If you want to make a point about images and idolatry, then find a existent thread on that topic or start a new one. But it is unfair to Ravenlocke and others who want to discuss this issue for you to derail the thread like this.

Nevertheless, you comment requires a reply.

In every religion in the world except Islam there is religious art depicting deities, saints, ordinary people, stories, miracle, etc. Every other religion! If you find a creche with the baby Jesus to be an abomination, then here are some more images that should be equally blasphemous to you.


https://i.imgur.com/QeHMmj0.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/jHEigpM.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/9cgKjTM.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/8HZoEiJ.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/LCzP7MG.jpg

If the image of baby Jesus is an abomination, then so is all the art above.

In a world filled with theft, extortion, murder, war, criminal schemes, pollution, poverty, and other forms of human degradation, if the only thing that offends you is an old man putting an image of the baby Jesus in a creche, than there is some serious deficiencies in your moral view of the universe.

Good luck to you.

:focus:

[Eagle Eye]

If 10 commandments aren't in christianity, then they do not follow the teaching of Jesus.
Every culture has craved images and worshipped them, but that doesn't mean that everyone followed them. Even they were heavily promoted, the people were divided and still are.
Following the commandments doesn't solve the problems of humanity in this life, but surely they prevent evil from spreading.

[Kryztian]

Well, the pope is doing much better than "the pope emeritus".

Pope Francis asks for prayers for Benedict XVI
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-francis-benedict-xvi-prayers.html

At the end of the General Audience, Pope Francis asks for “special prayers” for Benedict XVI “who is very ill.” The Holy See Press Office director confirms there has been an aggravation in his health condition but says the situation remains stable.

Concluding the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis invited the faithful to say a "special prayer" for his 95-year-old predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.


I would like to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who in silence is supporting the Church. Remember him - he is very ill - asking the Lord to console him, and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end.”

Advanced age

Answering questions put to him by journalists, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed, "In the last few hours there has been an aggravation of his health due to advancing age.”

He added that the situation “at the moment remains under control,” and that the Pope Emeritus is constantly monitored by doctors.

Mr. Bruni also said that after the General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis went to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican where Benedict XVI resides.

“We join him in prayer for the Pope Emeritus,” Mr. Bruni said.

[onawah]

Glenn: My visit to Vatican City
Glenn Beck
976K subscribers
27K
672,937 views
Jan 5, 2023

"During his Christmas address last December, Pope Francis warned cardinals to be vigilant of an ‘elegant demon’ lurking in the Vatican. Additionally, Pope Benedict XVI’s personal secretary plans to release a tell-all book that his publisher says will describe certain ‘dark maneuvers.’ But Glenn also has his own, personal experiences in Vatican City that lead him to believe there could be sinister forces attempting to gain a foothold there. In this clip, Glenn describes the last time he visited the Vatican, and the “spooky” meeting he had there. His story, Glenn says, proves that evil isn’t just spreading in America — it’s all over the world. But, there are good guys fighting it everywhere as well…"

3reaemCavQs

[wegge]

Benedict died in the meantime, I think last Saturday? So this thread might have been prompted by something in the ethers ;)

[Ravenlocke]

No it wasn’t tiredness from old age or staying up late for a two hour mass that I noticed in his face.
But the death announcement of Pope Benedict and now this news item..may have contributed to Pope Frances “look”.

https://www.rt.com/news/569619-pope-vatican-secret-plot/


Cardinal claims ‘secret plot’ to oust Pope Francis – media


Following the death of Pope Benedict XVI, a group of cardinals in the Vatican has embarked on a project to pressure the sitting Pope Francis to resign, an unnamed cleric told the Turin-based La Stampa. This revelation of a supposedly secret plot has been picked up by other outlets, notably several tabloids in the UK.

The Express and the Daily Mail both published their versions of the story on Monday, referring to an article that appeared in La Stampa the day before. Both carry the quote from an anonymous cardinal – said to be Italian – that the plan will unfold along “various axes and phases” but with the sole objective of placing the papacy “under such stress that Francis will have to resign.”

The plotters are a minority right now, so they will need time to weaken Francis and win over other cardinals, the source allegedly said. Their campaign will supposedly focus on the pontiff’s “doctrinal choices” that have fostered discontent among the more conservative Catholics – notably regarding homosexuality, abortion and divorce – as well as on his failing health.

Francis, 86, has had several surgeries over the past year and has on occasion had to use a wheelchair to move around.

Former Pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95
Former Pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95
His predecessor Benedict XVI took the unusual step of resigning in February 2013, citing his advanced age. He passed away last month, at 95. According to speculation by the media, the “plotters” did not wish to move against Francis while Benedict was still alive, to avoid the unprecedented situation of having two retired living popes.

La Stampa saw something suspicious in the fact that Francis has recently met with Cardinal Georg Gaenswein, Benedict’s former personal secretary and still officially the prefect of the papal household, who remains sore that the new pontiff essentially retired him in all but name.

The Italian outlet said Francis had addressed the German-born cardinal’s accusations in his Sunday sermon, telling the faithful that “Gossip is a lethal weapon, it kills, it kills love, it kills society, it kills brotherhood.”

Francis has also made several political gaffes in recent months. The Vatican apologized to Russia for the pope’s interview with an American Jesuit magazine, in which he had described the Muslim Chechens and mainly Buddhist Buryats as the “cruelest” Russians. Moscow protested the offense against the minority communities, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the pope’s words as “strange” and “unchristian.”

Last month, Francis described the conflict in Ukraine as “a global war,” adding that such wars begin “when an empire begins to weaken.”

[s7e6e]

Your comment is off topic and disruptive.

Teachings should be held in natural open spaces, not shouted from balconies by men dressed as emperors. The house of God is in our hearts not in these dens of thieves.

[Ravenlocke]

From the description it makes me wonder if the pope got a similar infection to what I just had last month. ( In my case, a mysterious bacterial infection that could not be explained by the doctors).


https://twitter.com/EWTNVatican/status/1641168171846516737

1641168171846516737

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1641411265179402242

1641411265179402242

[Isserley]

1666444901448400902

[Kryztian]

Pope Francis, 88, admitted to hospital in Rome
Sarah Hooper
Published February 14, 2025 10:15am Updated February 14, 2025 11:22am
https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/14/pope-francis-88-admitted-hospital-rome-22558103/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIcsDdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfN6NEwOTP1gYjv9fLCy8EwAqZIpPyA_RatK1XB4cakFn-9qPFlcUg9dRA_aem_Uwb8WlgYcXsAawQwzuKuig

Pope Francis has been admitted to the hospital for medical examinations and to treat bronchitis, the Vatican announced.

Since being diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday, the 88-year-old has continued his activities and audiences indoors at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lives, with a public appearance on Sunday.

He has however handed off his speeches for an aide to read aloud, saying he was having trouble breathing.

Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has long battled health problems, especially long bouts of acute bronchitis in winter.

He uses a wheelchair, walker or cane when moving around his apartment and recently fell twice, hurting his arm and chin.

Ever since his diagnosis, Francis has appeared bloated, an indication the medication he was taking to treat the lung infection was making him retain water.

Francis is being taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was last admitted in June 2023 to have surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in the abdominal wall.

A few months before that, he spent three days in the hospital to receive intravenous antibiotics for a respiratory infection.

A Vatican statement said Francis would be admitted at the end of his Friday audiences.

In 2023, he was admitted to the hospital for breathing difficulties and joked ‘I’m still alive’ after he was discharged.

He also took time to baptise newborn babies in the hospital in 2023.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/RT_com/status/1891462631208169826

1891462631208169826

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-condition-in-hospital-worsens/?utm_source=telegram

Pope Francis’ condition in hospital worsens

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis’ medical condition has worsened, the Holy See announced Monday lunch-time, with his respiratory tract infection needing increased treatment and a lengthened stay in hospital.

Around 1pm Rome time on Monday, the Vatican announced a deterioration in Pope Francis’ condition. The Pope has been in hospital in Rome since Friday morning, where he was taken to receive treatment for ongoing bronchitis.

The new statement reads:

The results of the investigations carried out in the past few days and today demonstrated a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection that resulted in further modification of therapy. All the investigations carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require appropriate hospital stay.

He had been admitted to hospital with a fever, though the Holy See press office told journalists Saturday evening that the fever had apparently subsided, and medical personnel reportedly stated that he was showing “improvement in some values.”

His audiences had been cancelled up until today, but with the latest news of his worsening health, the length of his hospitalization remains unclear. His weekly general audience on Wednesday has now been cancelled.

Details about the Pope’s health have been sparse since he was admitted, with statements suggesting his condition was improving.

Hospitalization shrouded in mystery

A brief, and somewhat nondescript, update on Francis’ medical condition has been issued in the early evening each day since Francis was taken to hospital. They have read broadly the same, namely that the Pope was resting, reading and receiving Holy Communion while medical tests continued.

His condition, the press office said, was “improving” – Saturday night – and then “stationary” – Sunday night.

The very brief statements left much unsaid about the likely true nature of Francis’ condition: a practice which is not out of the ordinary when the Vatican issues comments about the health of a pontiff.

But Monday’s statement seems to be much more in line with the reality of Francis’ health.

Indeed, by the time he was taken to hospital Friday, he had already been suffering with bronchitis for around two weeks. This had led him to abandon a number of speeches after he had started them, along with handing out the texts of prepared speeches to those in his private audiences instead of attempting to read.

The very fact that he was taken to hospital reveals that his condition had deteriorated past the ability of his in-house doctor and medical staff who attend him daily. Thus the hospitalization was in itself an indication of the seriousness of his condition. For it to be described by the press office as “fair” and “stationary” seemed somewhat disingenuous.

Reports have also suggested that the high doses of medication which he has been on recently, due to his breathing issues, have failed and resulted in his very obvious water retention and bloating. On Sunday, Il Messaggero’s respected Vaticanista Franca Giansoldati cited a source saying that “he had all his values out of whack.”


Monday lunch-time’s statement about Francis needing an “appropriate” amount of time is sufficiently vague to be applied to any time-period, and hints at a more serious clinical diagnosis than that which has been made public.

At the moment, Francis’ normally weekly general audience has been cancelled for this Wednesday and all papal events removed from his calendar. He is due to officiate at Jubilee celebrations for deacons on Sunday February 23 in St. Peter’s Square. This, now, appears increasingly unlikely.

Francis’ health has already been in notable decline in recent years with his mobility noticeably much more limited in recent weeks. While he has had to use a wheelchair and a cane for some years, his inability to walk freely without assistance has been especially highlighted this winter.

In recent months he has had two publicly acknowledged falls. At the December 7 consistory to create cardinals, Francis appeared with a very visible bruise on his chin. The mark was explained by the press office as being due to a minor fall that the Pope had on the previous morning, when he hit his chin on his bedside table.

Then, in mid-January, the Pope had another fall which this time led to his using a sling on his right arm for a few days.

Already missing a large part of one lung as a result of illness in his early 20s, the Pontiff has always been particularly susceptible to winter colds affecting his breathing capability.

Prior to Friday’s admission, he underwent brief “diagnostic tests” in February 2024 but had not officially stayed at hospital since summer 2023.

In 2023 Francis underwent two significant hospitalizations, the first of which was described as “scheduled” but which Francis later described as being an emergency, having arrived at the hospital “unconscious.” In June 2023 he underwent surgery for an “incarcerated incisional hernia,” which the Holy See Press Office described as a necessary procedure, but not an emergency.

Prior to that in summer of 2021, the Pope also had a 10-day stay in hospital, after he had to undergo a six-hour surgery at the Gemelli to have part of his colon removed due to diverticulitis.

Speaking to La Croix on Friday, sources close to the Pope said that Francis was “not in good shape,” an observation which appears readily ascertainable for those with an observational eye.

With the press acutely watching every word the Holy See press office issues about the Pope’s health, information about Francis’ condition will be closely analyzed.

Meanwhile the Diocese of Rome and bishops around the world have encouraged faithful to pray for the Pope during his time in hospital.

This story is developing…

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/LifeSite/status/1891935199895658862

1891935199895658862

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-pope-francis-has-double-pneumonia-vatican-announces/

BREAKING: Pope Francis has double pneumonia, Vatican announces


VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has double pneumonia requiring “complex” medical care in the hospital, the Holy See Press Office announced this evening.

In a statement issued to the Vatican press corps around 7:30 pm tonight, the press office director stated that Francis’ health situation had deteriorated once again, following his Friday admission to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital:

The laboratory tests, chest X-ray and clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture.

The polymicrobial infection, which arose in a context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and which required the use of cortisone and antibiotic therapy, makes the therapeutic treatment more complex.

The chest CAT scan that the Holy Father underwent this afternoon, prescribed by the Vatican health team and the medical team of the “A. Gemelli” Polyclinic Foundation, showed the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further drug therapy.

Nevertheless, Pope Francis is in a good mood.

This morning he received the Eucharist and, during the day, he alternated rest with prayer and reading texts. He is grateful for the closeness he feels at this moment and asks, with gratitude, that people continue to pray for him.

Already missing a large part of one lung as a result of illness in his early 20s, Francis has always been particularly susceptible to winter colds affecting his breathing capability.

Francis had been admitted to hospital Friday with a fever and with bronchitis, though the Holy See Press Office told journalists Saturday evening that the fever had apparently subsided, and medical personnel reportedly stated that he was showing “improvement in some values.”

On Sunday evening his condition was declared “stationary,” but then on Monday the press office announced it had worsened, and that “all the investigations carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require appropriate hospital stay.”

Earlier today, his audiences were again cancelled, this time up to the end of Sunday, February 23.

Should he remain in hospital until then, then it would indeed be the longest hospitalization of his pontificate. He was in hospital for less than five days in the spring of 2023 and then in June 2023 for 9 days. During the latter occasion, he underwent surgery for an “incarcerated incisional hernia,” which the Holy See Press Office described as a necessary procedure, but not an emergency.

This story is developing…

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Not a good sign. Pneumonia is deadly, and I know it, it took my brother, and he was way younger than the pope.

Anyone recall the prophecy that lists all the popes up to the final one? -- 'Peter of Rome', I think it is. Maybe his time is coming.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Not a good sign. Pneumonia is deadly, and I know it, it took my brother, and he was way younger than the pope.

Anyone recall the prophecy that lists all the popes up to the final one? -- 'Peter of Rome', I think it is. Maybe his time is coming.


I had it as a kid, double pneumonia. Was in the hospital in an oxygen tent for two weeks.
And my wife is going through her second bout of it in four years. She is now in an induced coma. Prognosis is serious. Her heart stopped for a bit and they are worried about brain damage.

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

My gosh Ernie, so very sorry to hear that! My thoughts are with you and your family. :flower::flower:

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/tassagency_en/status/1892931897468080472

1892931897468080472

https://tass.com/society/1917107?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=smm_social_share

Pope Francis may abdicate for health reasons — cardinal

The 88-year-old Francis has been in the hospital since February 14, suffering from bilateral pneumonia

ROME, February 21. /TASS/. Pope Francis may resign like his predecessor Benedict XVI if he is unable to cope with his duties for health reasons, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi said.

However, Ravasi noted in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper that Francis wanted to see through the 2025 Jubilee Year of Christianity celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church.

"If Pope Francis has difficulties in fulfilling his papal duties, he will make his own decision. I think he may choose to resign. It's up to him, he has the final say. The pope has a great desire to have a Jubilee Year dedicated to hope. It is important for him," the cardinal said.

The 88-year-old Francis has been in the hospital since February 14, suffering from bilateral pneumonia. Media outlets started speculating about the pontiff’s possible near demise and about the following conclave (closed assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope). Another option is abdication: Francis himself has repeatedly said that Benedict XVI, who will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, "paved the way for successors." The Pope even said that he signed a letter of abdication that would be taken into account if he lost capacity. He noted that he gave it to the Vatican’s former Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, and had no idea of where it could currently be (probably with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s current secretary of state).

On his part, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, said comforting words about Pope Francis' health. "We are all worried, but the fact that he is getting up, reading newspapers and receiving visitors [Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis on February 19] indicates that he is recovering," he stressed.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/LifeSite/status/1893103414101364870

1893103414101364870

[Brigantia]

Not a good sign. Pneumonia is deadly, and I know it, it took my brother, and he was way younger than the pope.

Anyone recall the prophecy that lists all the popes up to the final one? -- 'Peter of Rome', I think it is. Maybe his time is coming.

The prophecy of Malachi (or Malachy), according to that Pope Francis is supposed to be the last. What may happen then remains to be seen.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/VaticanNews/status/1893736380292866266

1893736380292866266

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-02/pope-condition-critical-but-no-new-respiratory-crisis.html

Pope in hospital, condition remains critical but no new respiratory crisis
Pope Francis is alert and oxygen is still being administered. His blood values are improving thanks to transfusions. There is an initial slight renal insufficiency. He attended Mass today.

Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office provided the following medical update on Pope Francis on Sunday evening:

The condition of the Holy Father remains critical, but since yesterday evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises.

He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with beneficial effects, and his hemoglobin levels have risen.

The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control.

High-flow oxygen therapy continues through nasal cannulas.

The Holy Father remains alert and well-oriented.

The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain guarded.

This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/HISTORY/status/1028675562469056512

1028675562469056512

https://x.com/mooreimel/status/1893422940655415365

1893422940655415365