Pope”s condition is still critical, ‘says the Vatican

Pope Francis remains in a “critical” condition, but “he has not presented other respiratory crises,” said the Vatican in a statement on Sunday.

He is still receiving high flow oxygenia and underwent blood transfusions.

He had also experienced “soft” renal problems, but “continues alert and well oriented,” according to the statement.

The Pope was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14 after experiencing respiratory difficulties for several days, where he was first treated by bronchitis before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

The new statement occurs after the Vatican said on Saturday that the Pope had experienced a respiratory crisis and was in a “critical” condition.

Earlier on Sunday, the Pope issued a statement asking Catholics to pray for him after he could not deliver Angelus’s traditional prayer in person for the second consecutive week.

The Vatican’s statement on Sunday said that in the morning, the Pope “participated in the Holy Mass, along with those who take care of him during these days.”

The pontiff is particularly susceptible to pneumonia, an infection of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, after contracting pleurisia when he was young and underwent a partial lung elimination.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has been admitted to the hospital several times during his 12 -year term, including the treatment of bronchitis in the same hospital in March 2023.

From Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American and the first Jesuit, to direct the Roman Catholic Church.