10th day in the hospital: Pope Francis is resting – Vatican

Candles, flowers and a portrait of Pope Francis are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized, in Rome on February 24, 2025. Agence France-Presse

ROME — Pope Francis was resting Monday morning after a quiet night, on the 10th day of his hospitalization for a complex lung infection that has provoked the early stages of kidney failure, the Vatican said.

The one-line statement didn’t say if Francis, 88, had woken up. “The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting,” it said.

Late Sunday, doctors reported that blood tests showed early kidney failure that was nevertheless under control. They said Francis remained in critical condition but that he hadn’t experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday.

He was receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen and, on Sunday, was alert, responsive and attended Mass. They said his prognosis was guarded.

Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. They have warned that the main threat facing Francis is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia.

To date there has been no reference to any onset of sepsis in the medical updates provided by the Vatican, including on Sunday.

Monday marks Francis’ 10th day in the hospital, making this equal to the longest hospitalization of his papacy. He spent 10 days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital in 2021 after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed.

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