Pope Francis gets good news from doctors: An upgraded prognosis that he's no longer in immediate danger
The Hindu
Pope Francis' health improves, no longer in imminent danger, but remains hospitalized for further treatment and rehabilitation.
Pope Francis woke up Tuesday (March 11, 2025) to good news from his doctors: They upgraded his prognosis and say he is no longer in imminent danger of death as a result of the double pneumonia that has kept him hospitalized for nearly a month in the longest and gravest threat to his 12-year papacy.
The 88-year-old pope isn't out of the woods yet, however. Doctors are still cautious and have decided to keep him hospitalised for several more days to receive treatment, not to mention a period of rehabilitation he will likely need.
But the doctors said he remains stable and has consolidated improvements in recent days, according to blood tests and his good response to treatment. Pope Francis, who has chronic lung disease, is still using supplemental oxygen during the day and a ventilation mask at night to help him breathe.
In an early update Tuesday, the Vatican said Pope Francis woke up around 8 am after a quiet night. The Argentine Jesuit has regularly been sleeping in while at Gemelli hospital, given his usual wakeup time at the Vatican is around 4:30 am.
Late Monday, doctors lifted their “guarded” prognosis for the pope, meaning they determined he was no longer in imminent danger as a result of the original respiratory infection he arrived with on Feb. 14. But their caution remained, given Francis' fragility and risks of other complications.
“In view of the complexity of the clinical picture and the important infectious picture presented on admission, it will be necessary to continue medical drug therapy in a hospital setting for additional days,” the Vatican statement said.
In a sign of his improved health, Francis followed the Vatican's weeklong spiritual retreat via videoconference on Monday in both the morning and afternoon sessions, something he was likely to continue to do through the week.
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