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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…
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