VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, in critical condition battling double pneumonia, had a quiet night in hospital and is resting, the Vatican said on Wednesday.
The 88-year-old pope is spending his 13th day at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the longest hospital stay of his nearly 12-year-old papacy.
“The pope had a tranquil night and is resting,” the Vatican said in a one-sentence statement that did not provide further details.
On Tuesday, the Vatican said the pontiff had remained in critical condition for the fourth day running but was stable and had not any further respiratory crises.
The pope’s prognosis, it said on Tuesday, remains “guarded”. But his hemodynamic parameters, a measure of the functioning of his body’s circulatory system, were also “stable”.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection of both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican has said the pope’s infection is “complex”, and caused by two or more microorganisms.
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered several bouts of ill health over the past two years. He is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
A further update on the pope’s condition is expected on Wednesday evening.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Giulia Segreti and Andrew Heavens)
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