Pope Francis remains in critical condition in hospital where he is being treated for a complex lung infection that has provoked the early stages of kidney failure, the Vatican said.
The Pope woke up on Monday morning and is continuing his therapies after a quiet night. “The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting,” the Vatican said.
He is continuing to feed himself and is not receiving artificial or liquid nutrition, it added.
Late on Sunday, doctors reported blood tests showed “early, slight kidney insufficiency” that was under control.
They said the Pope, 88, had not experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen.
The Vatican also said a decreased platelet count, necessary for clotting, that was first detected on Saturday was stable. On Sunday, he was alert, responsive and attended Mass.
It added it could not give further prognosis because of the “the complexity of the clinical picture, and the necessary wait for drug therapies to provide some feedback”.
Catholics have been asked to pray for Pope Francis as he remains in hospital battling double pneumonia.
The pontiff, who was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person for the second Sunday in a row, released a message written over the last few days as he thanked worshipers for their “prayers of comfort”.
The message comes as the Vatican on Sunday said the Pope remained in critical condition but had a “tranquil” night. They said Francis was alert and had rested after a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions.
Thanking doctors and health workers at the hospital, Francis wrote: “In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children.
“Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me.”
Francis was supposed to have celebrated Mass on Sunday morning in St Peter’s Basilica and ordained deacons as part of the Vatican’s year-long Holy Year commemoration.
The organiser of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place and offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.
“Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis close to us. We feel him present among us,” he told the hundreds of white-robed deacons.
A pre-written message that had been prepared for Francis to read Sunday but did not deliver said he was “confidently continuing my hospitalisation at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!”
The message asked for prayers for him – as he always asks – and noted the upcoming anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “a painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity”.
Meanwhile in Francis’ native Argentina, Catholics prayed for the pope at the Buenos Aires cathedral and the city’s iconic obelisk was lit up “Francis, the city prays for you.”
In Cairo, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the seat of Sunni learning who forged a close bond with Francis, wished him well.
“I pray to Allah to grant my dear brother, Pope Francis, a swift recovery and to bless him with good health and well-being so that he may continue his journey in serving humanity,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb wrote in a Facebook post.
And school children from around Rome deluged the Gemelli hospital with get-well cards, while Italian bishops led rosary prayers and celebrated special Masses across Italy.
The pope was first admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on 14 February after experiencing difficulty breathing for several days and subsequently had pneumonia diagnosed in both lungs.
The Vatican described his condition as critical for the first time on Saturday, reporting that the 88-year-old Francis had needed supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions that day after a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis”.
“The night was tranquil, the pope rested,” the Vatican said in a one-sentence update on Sunday morning without providing further information.
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named told Reuters, that Francis was awake and alert on Sunday. The pope was receiving oxygen as needed via a small tube under his nose, but was breathing unaided, the official added.
A further update on the pope’s condition is expected on Sunday evening after clinical exams during the day.
In a written message for his usual Sunday prayer in St. Peter’s Square, which the pope was unable to give for a second consecutive week, Francis said he was continuing “confidently” with his treatment in hospital. He thanked his doctors and people who have sent him messages of support.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a senior Vatican official, told participants at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning they should make their prayers for Francis “stronger and more intense”.
The Diocese of Rome, which the pope leads, announced a special Mass for Sunday evening to pray for Francis, so that he will have “the strength necessary to get through this moment of trial”.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican has described the pope‘s infection as “complex”, saying it is being caused by two or more microorganisms.
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered bouts of ill health in the past two years. He is particularly prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Doctors have previously warned that the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis which can occur as a complication of pneumonia when some of the germs located in the respiratory system pass into the bloodstream.
“Sepsis, with his respiratory problems and his age, would be really difficult to get out of,” Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of medicine and surgery at Gemelli hospital, told a news conference on Friday.
“He knows he’s in danger,” Alfieri added. “And he told us to relay that.”
The Vatican said he had received blood transfusions on Saturday after tests revealed a low platelet count, associated with anaemia.
Francis developed pleurisy as a young man and had part of a lung removed as result, making him particularly prone to lung infections.
He has suffered a string of ailments in the past few years, including a lung inflammation which prevented him from attending COP28 in Dubai last November, abdominal surgery in June and treatment for bronchitis in March.
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