Vatican says Pope Francis in critical condition

Pope Francis in critical condition with respiratory crisis, battling pneumonia and infection, prognosis reserved, Vatican says.

Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday (February 22, 2025) after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old Francis, who has been hospitalised for a week with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated with anemia, the Vatican said in a late update.

“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved,” the statement said.

Earlier, doctors said that Pope Francis was battling pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection that doctors say remains touch-and-go and will keep him hospitalised for at least another week.

The Vatican carried on with its Holy Year celebrations without the pope on Saturday (February 22, 2025).

In a brief earlier update on Saturday (February 22, 2025), Pope Francis slept well overnight.

But doctors have warned that the main threat facing Pope Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia. As of Friday (February 21, 2025), there was no evidence of any sepsis, and Pope Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking, the pope's medical team said in their first in-depth update on the pope's condition.