MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio) remains in critical condition with blood tests showing mild signs of kidney failure, according to Vatican on Sunday.
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| Photo courtesy: Facebook/Vatican News |
The 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia in both his lungs.
"The condition of the Holy Father remains critical, but since yesterday evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises," the Holy See Press Office said.
Francis received two units of concentrated red blood cells with beneficial effects, and his hemoglobin levels have risen.
"The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control," the report from Vatican added.
Francis took part in the Holy Mass from the apartment set up on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday morning, according to the statement.
Earlier, the Pope used nasal cannulas for the administration of high-flow oxygen.
Last Saturday, the Press Office said "the condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. The Pope is not out of danger."
At a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital on late Friday afternoon, Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, and Dr Luigi Carbone, the Vice-Director of the Vatican’s healthcare service, spoke for some forty minutes to a roomful of journalists.
The pair said that they believed the Pope would be hospitalised for "at least" the entirety of this week, and that Pope Francis is not “in danger of death,” but he’s also not fully “out of danger.”
Asked by a journalist what their greatest fear is, the doctors noted that there is a risk that germs in the Pope’s respiratory tract might enter his bloodstream, causing sepsis.
Dr Alfieri did say, however, that he was confident that Pope Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican – with the proviso that when he does so, his chronic respiratory issues will remain.
The pontiff was admitted to a clinic in Rome on February 14.
History of respiratory infections
Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, has a vulnerability to respiratory infections. As a young man, he suffered a severe bout of pneumonia that led to the removal of part of one lung.
In 2023, he was hospitalized with bronchitis.
In 2021, the doctors removed part of his colon in relation to diverticulitis, which can cause inflammation or infection of the colon.
— The Summit Express
