Pope Francis releases touching statement as he fights for his life

Pope Francis has released a heartfelt message from his hospital bed where he remains in a critical condition.

Pope Francis has made a brave statement as he continues to fight for his life in a Rome hospital.

The pontiff released his weekly Angelus address despite a concerning health prognosis.

“I urge you to continue with joy your apostolate and – as today’s Gospel suggests – to be a sign of a love that embraces all, that transforms evil into good and generates a fraternal world,” the address reads.

Balloons are attached at the statue of John Paul II where people come to pray outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised. Picture: AFP

The Catholic leader celebrated the ordination of a number of new deacons and encourages them to carry out their “ministry in the Church with words and deeds, bringing God’s love and mercy to all.”

“Do not be afraid to risk love,” he said.

“I urge you to continue with joy your apostolate and – as today’s Gospel suggests – to be a sign of a love that embraces all.

“As for me,” he added, “I continue confidently with my stay at the Gemelli Polyclinic, receiving the necessary treatments.

“And rest is also part of the therapy.”

“I sincerely thank the doctors and healthcare workers at this hospital for the attention they are showing me” and “for the dedication with which they carry out their service among the sick.”

I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children. Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 23, 2025

The Pope also tweeted a touching thank you on X for the outpouring of love he has received from across the globe.

“I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” he wrote.

“Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”

Pope Francis’s condition has worsened to “critical” and he is relying on high-flow oxygen as his hospital stay moves into its second week.

On Sunday morning local time (Sunday AEDT) the Vatican confirmed the pope had a “tranquil” night and rested, posting on X: “Pope Francis had a peaceful ninth night” in hospital where he is being treated for double pneumonia.

The latest update follows the Vatican confirming on Saturday night local time (Sunday AEDT) that the 88-year-old is “not out of danger” as concerns heighten over his attempts to recover from serious illness.

“The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical,” the Vatican confirmed in a statement.

“Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like-respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity which required the administration of high-flow oxygen”.

Pope Francis at his weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square in The Vatican last November. Picture: AFP

As his hospital stay continues to extend, speculation is mounting on whether he should resign if he becomes unable to perform his duties.

On Sunday morning, the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis had a peaceful ninth night in Rome's Gemelli hospital where he is being treated for double pneumonia
25-02/pope-francis-morning-23-february-2025-health-gemelli-hospital.html

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) February 23, 2025

To date there has been no indication that he intends to step down and there is no requirement under the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church for the pope to do so if he does become incapacitated.

Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 became the first pope in 600 years who retired after he conceded that he didn’t have the physical strength to continue – he was 85 years old at the time.

Pope Francis, the 266th pope, succeeded Pope Benedict in 2013 aged 76 and he has battled health issues in recent years.

People pray at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is being cared for in Rome. Picture: AFP

Since 2021 he has undergone intestinal surgery, has weight problems, suffers from constant knee and hip pain and he is largely reliant on a wheelchair.

The pope was admitted to Rome’s second-largest health facility, Gemelli Hospital, on February 14 and blood tests have confirmed that he has thrombocytopenia, associated with anaemia, which required blood transfusions.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition that occurs when the platelet count in the blood is too low which helps allow the blood to clot.

Platelets are tiny blood cells that are made in the bone marrow from larger cells and the condition can be life-threatening if there is bleeding within the brain.

Nuns pray at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital. Picture: AFP

The Pope also has been diagnosed during his latest health battle with bronchitis and double pneumonia.

The Vatican released information revealing on the weekend that said despite the Pope remaining alert and spending Saturday in an armchair, “he is more uncomfortable than yesterday”.

“At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded,” the Vatican said.

His upcoming engagements have been cancelled including the Angelus prayer which he was due to deliver at noon on Sunday local time and instead text will be published at the same time.

Professor Sergio Alfieri gives a press conference at the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised for tests and treatment in Rome.

Last week Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the Pope in hospital and she said the pair “joked around”.

She was his first visitor who was not a secretary or a member of his medical team.

Last week Gemelli’s Professor Sergio Alfieri addressed the media and said while the Pope’s condition was slowly improving he still faces a significant battle ahead.

“The question is, is the Pope out of danger? No, the Pope is not out of danger,” Prof Alfieri said.

“If you then ask whether he is in danger of dying at this moment, the answer is still no”.

PRAYERS OUTSIDE GEMELLI HOSPITAL

Outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where the Pope is being treated, people prayed at the large marble statue of one its most famous patients, Pope John Paul II.

Doctors at the Gemelli hospital helped save Pope John Paul’s life by removing a bullet from his abdomen in May 1981, after he was shot in a failed assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square.

Candles are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is being treated. Picture: AFP

It was the first time a pope had been treated at Rome’s largest hospital and the Gemelli later set up a special Papal suite, which is where Pope Francis is being treated.

Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, but it turned into pneumonia in both lungs, causing widespread alarm.

Pope Francis attends the weekly general audience on February 12, 2025 at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican.

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin earlier dismissed talk over the Pope’s ability to continue as head of the Catholic Church as “useless speculation” in an interview published Saturday with Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily.

“Now we are thinking about the health of the Holy Father, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter,” the cardinal said.

Parolin said he personally had not yet been to see the pope, saying he was available but so far there was no need.

“It is better if he remains protected and has as few visitors as possible, to allow him to rest and make the treatment he is undergoing more effective,” he added.

Francis, who is staying in the special papal suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, has been moving between his bed, a chair and an adjacent chapel where he prays.

He will remain in hospital “at least for all next week”, Alfieri said. “If we send him to Santa Marta (his home at the Vatican), he’ll start working again as before,” he said.

A hand written message is placed in a candle of Pope Francis outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is staying.

The doctor said “the real risk in these cases is that the germs pass into the blood”, which could result in sepsis, a life-threatening condition.

Doctor Luigi Carbone said the Pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, now has a chronic lung condition and “is by definition a fragile patient”.

But Alfieri stressed that “at the same time, he has incredible resilience.

He added that Francis has difficulty breathing but was not on any machines and was “in good spirits”. He still has the wit of “a 70-year-old, maybe a 50-year-old”.

But Francis’s absence from the Vatican means questions are being raised over the future of a leader with a punishing schedule who has been increasingly plagued by health issues in recent years.

Since 2021 he has undergone colon and hernia surgery, is overweight and suffers constant hip and knee pain, which force him to use a wheelchair most of the time.

Francis is also one of the oldest popes ever — and though he has said the job is for life, the pope has left the door open to resigning like his predecessor Benedict XVI.

Originally published as Pope Francis releases touching statement as he fights for his life