Pope Francis is reportedly doing well despite his pneumonia, according to a Vatican source on Wednesday, amid growing concerns about the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition.
The pope was hospitalized in Rome last week for bronchitis after experiencing breathing difficulties, and the Holy See confirmed on Tuesday that he had developed pneumonia in both lungs.
“The pope had a peaceful night, woke up, and had breakfast,” the Vatican said on Wednesday, marking his fifth night at the Gemelli hospital, which has a suite specifically reserved for popes.
A Vatican source stated, “The pope is breathing on his own and his heart is holding up very well.”
Francis has been in contact with friends by phone, has been out of bed, sitting in a chair, and working intermittently, the source added.
On Tuesday, the Vatican reported that the pope was in “good spirits,” but in an evening update, it noted that his clinical condition, along with lab tests and a chest X-ray, presented a “complex picture.”
The Vatican explained that a “polymicrobial infection,” on top of existing conditions like “bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis,” has complicated treatment, requiring cortisone and antibiotic therapy. A follow-up chest CT scan revealed the onset of bilateral pneumonia, necessitating additional medication.
The pope had part of his right lung removed when he was 21 due to pleurisy that nearly claimed his life.
The Vatican has canceled a papal audience for Saturday and announced that the pope would not attend Sunday’s mass, though plans for his weekly Angelus prayer, held on Sunday at noon, have not yet been disclosed.
Outside the Gemelli hospital, where pilgrims have gathered to pray, candles—some adorned with images of the pope—have been placed beneath a statue of Pope John Paul II. Jacqueline Troncoso, a Bolivian living in Rome, expressed her well wishes: “I came to say a prayer for the pope so that he may recover soon.”
The Vatican has shared drawings from children in the hospital for the pope, along with letters from parents requesting his prayers for their sick children.
Since becoming head of the Catholic Church in 2013, Francis had been struggling to read his texts in public before being admitted to the hospital.
Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, a close associate of the pope, told Italy’s *Corriere della Sera* that Francis might remain in the hospital for two to three weeks, though he stressed that while the situation is delicate, there is no cause for alarm. “The pope has extraordinary vitality,” he noted, adding that Francis is not someone who “lets himself go,” which he considered a positive sign.
The pneumonia adds to a series of health challenges the pope has faced in recent years, including hernia and colon surgery since 2021, and knee pain that requires him to use a wheelchair.
Although the pope has left open the possibility of resigning if he becomes unable to fulfill his duties, he stated in a memoir last year that such a decision would only be considered if he faced a “serious physical impediment.”
