Vatican City, February 23, 2025: Tope religious leader of Christians Pope Francis spent his ninth night in the hospital peacefully, the Vatican reported Sunday, following alarming updates about his deteriorating health.
On Saturday, the Vatican revealed that the 88-year-old pontiff had suffered a prolonged respiratory attack, requiring blood transfusions. Though he remained alert and seated in a chair, officials maintained that his condition was critical, and his prognosis remained uncertain.
Sunday morning’s update was brief: “The night passed peacefully, and the pope rested.” However, a Vatican source later confirmed that unlike earlier in the week, Pope Francis had skipped breakfast and did not read the newspapers.
The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which later developed into double pneumonia. Doctors had expressed cautious optimism on Friday, noting slight improvements, but their hopes were dashed by Saturday’s downturn.
The Vatican confirmed that the pope remained in critical condition, explaining that he had suffered an asthmatic respiratory crisis requiring high-flow oxygen. Blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia—a condition marked by low platelet count—along with anemia, necessitating blood transfusions.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), such transfusions are administered to patients experiencing heavy bleeding or at high risk of life-threatening complications.
The latest developments have sparked widespread concern. Italy’s Corriere della Sera headlined: “The Pope Gets Worse”, while La Repubblica called it “the darkest day” at the Vatican.
Leading Italian virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco told La Stampa that “the situation is becoming more worrying”, emphasizing that the next few hours and days would be crucial.
Due to his condition, Pope Francis was unable to deliver his usual Sunday Angelus prayer, with the Vatican instead publishing the text, as it did last week. He has previously delivered the prayer from the hospital balcony, but this time, a senior prelate was brought in to lead Sunday Mass for Jubilee 2025 celebrations at St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel him close to us,” Cardinal Rino Fisichella said before reading the pope’s homily, urging prayers for Francis in this “moment of trial.”
Additionally, Cardinal Vicar of Rome Baldo Reina called on believers to join him in a special mass at St. John Lateran Basilica on Sunday evening, praying for the pope’s strength and recovery.
