Rome
CNN
–
According to doctors at Gemeri Hospital in Rome, Pope Francis is not at risk of “immediate death.”
“Is the Pope out of danger? No. Both doors are open. Is he in danger of death soon? No. Therapy requires working hours,” he said in the past Pope. Sergio Alfieri, an active surgeon, said at a press conference Friday.
Francis is “actively” in treating pneumonia, the Vatican said it was Thursday, a week after the 88-year-old bishop was hospitalized in Rome.
The Pope is expected to continue hospitalising for “at least everything for next week,” Alfieri said, adding that the exact time it takes to treat is unknown.
In response to a question from CNN, Luigi Carbon, the leading physician in the Vatican’s Health and Health Department, said the Pope has not lost his appetite and eats regularly. Alfieri added that it remains in good spirits and has his sense of humor.
Once the acute portion of the infection is treated in the hospital, Alfieri explains, and Francis can eventually be treated at his residence in Casa Santa Marta.
Francis, who received the Eucharist, “dedicated to his work activities,” following a “slight” improvement in his condition, the Vatican said Thursday. The Pope had oxygen to assist in breathing, the spokesman said, adding that his heart was well lifted and that he had no fever.
The bishop was recognized by the Agostino Gemeri Polyclinic in the Italian capital on February 14th, and was initially tested for respiratory infections. He was then diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs after a later CT scan.
Francis, from Argentina, is vulnerable to respiratory infections. In his youth, he suffered from severe pneumonia matches, leading to the removal of part of one lung.
In 2021, doctors surgically removed a portion of his colon in connection with diverticulitis. This can cause inflammation and infection of the colon. He was hospitalized in 2023 with bronchitis and in recent months he had two falls, where he injured his chin and his arm placed in a sling.
Friday is the third longest time he spent in the hospital since his election as Pope, in a week since he was admitted to Jemeri Hospital.
His doctors advised “full rest” for the Pope, whose public events have been cancelled until at least Saturday.
Still, he has had several, including the first two days of hospitalization, including the daily call to Rev. Gabriel Romanelli and his assistant Father Yusuf Assad in Gaza city, Gaza. I’m continuing my work. They have been in frequent contact since Israel was surrounded by bombing campaigns and enclaves following the Hamas-led attack on October 7th.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN that Francis has also signed a decision at the clinic. Until now, only his “closest collaborator” has visited him, a Vatican spokesman told reporters. On Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited him for 20 minutes.
“We joked as usual, the Prime Minister said in a statement.
Outside the capital, worshippers gathered in candlelit churches from Argentina to the Vatican to pray for a steady recovery of Francis.
Rodmina Valdez, a 45-year-old Argentinian at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, told Reuters on Wednesday. “But all we can do is put him in our prayers and provide him with fasting, or in any case, some penance.”
Just outside St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican of Klaus, a German tourist, the Pope said he hopes “many strong years remain within him.” Then he returned to the Agostino Gemeri Polyclinic in Rome, where he showed the letters and drawings made by children in the Faculty of Oncology, with colorful illustrations and messages that he often prayed for.
“I hope he will be well soon and he will be able to return to his role,” said Gaetano Bavagnini, a resident of Rome. “He is an extraordinary man and an extraordinary Pope.”
