Pope Francis ‘remains critical’ but had a good night: Vatican

Pope Francis, in a critical condition with pneumonia since he was hospitalised on February 14, had a good night and was resting, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis remains critical in hospital with double pneumonia. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis, in a critical condition with pneumonia since he was hospitalised on February 14, had a good night and was resting, the Vatican said on Monday.

“The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting”, it said in a brief statement as Francis, 88, entered his 11th day at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, making this the longest hospitalisation of his papacy.

In in its prior update, the Holy See said the Argentine pontiff is alert and continues to receive “high-flow oxygen” through a nasal cannula.

“The Holy Father’s condition remains critical; however, since yesterday evening he has not presented any further respiratory crises,” it said.

Francis was given two units of concentrated red blood cells, and his thrombocytopenia “has remained stable”, it said.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition that occurs when the platelet count in the blood is too low, which can cause trouble stopping bleeding.

“However, some blood tests demonstrate an initial, mild, renal failure, currently under control,” the statement continued.

It added: “The complexity of the clinical picture, and the need to wait for the pharmacological treatments to have some feedback, mean that the prognosis remains reserved.”

The Vatican added that the pope took part in mass on Sunday morning, in his papal suite on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, alongside those looking after him.

Francis, who has been head of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted on February 14.

He was initially diagnosed with bronchitis but it developed into double pneumonia, and on Saturday the pope suffered a prolonged respiratory attack.

AFP