Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs, the Vatican announced Tuesday, following further tests that raised concerns about the 88-year-old pontiff’s ability to fight off the infection.
The Vatican confirmed that his respiratory infection also includes asthmatic bronchitis, requiring cortisone and antibiotic treatment. “Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stated.
Despite the diagnosis, Francis remains in good spirits and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery. He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday after a worsening bout of bronchitis. Medical personnel later determined he was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning a mix of viruses and bacteria had colonized his respiratory system.
A follow-up CT scan confirmed bilateral pneumonia, requiring additional drug therapy. Though pneumonia can be severe—especially when it affects both lungs—the Vatican reports that Francis has been eating, reading newspapers, and continuing some work from his hospital room. He is not currently receiving supplemental oxygen and has no fever.
Doctors remain cautious, as his lack of fever could indicate a weakened immune response rather than a sign of recovery. The Vatican has not provided a timeline for his hospital stay but emphasized that his treatment requires an “adequate” duration.
Meanwhile, well-wishers, including children from the hospital’s oncology ward, have sent the pope get-well cards and drawings, while Vatican officials continue their duties, including diplomatic visits abroad.
But other business had to be canceled. There will be no weekly general audience Wednesday, and it’s not clear if Francis will miss his Sunday noon blessing for a second week in a row. His hospitalization has also forced the cancellation of some events surrounding the Vatican Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century ceremony in which millions of pilgrims flock to Rome.
This Holy Year weekend was dedicated to deacons, the ministry that is a necessary step for men who are preparing to become priests. Francis had an unrelated audience Saturday and was supposed to have ordained the deacons during a Mass on Sunday. The Vatican on Tuesday announced his audience was canceled and that the archbishop who is organizing the Jubilee would celebrate the Mass in the pope’s place.
It’s a similar arrangement that the Vatican announced last weekend when artists in town had to settle for a scrapped papal audience and a cardinal presiding over their special Mass.
The next Jubilee events on the calendar that would typically involve the pope are the March 8-9 weekend dedicated to volunteers.
Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter. He has admitted in the past that he is a non-compliant patient, and even his close Vatican aides have said he pushed himself too far even once his bronchitis was diagnosed.
He refused to let up on his busy schedule and ignored medical advice to stay indoors during Rome’s chilly winter, insisting on sitting through an outdoor Jubilee Mass for the armed forces on Feb. 9 even though he was having trouble breathing.
Francis’ hospital admission this year has already sidelined him for longer than a 2023 hospitalization for pneumonia.
