“At the moment the prognosis is reserved,“ it said, as the head of the Catholic Church prepared to spend his ninth night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was diagnosed this week with double pneumonia.
“This morning Pope Francis presented a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen,“ it said.
“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday.”
- Prayers for the pope -
This latest hospitalisation has cast doubt over his ability to continue as leader of world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics, fuelling speculation over his potential resignation -- and who might take over.
“Now we are thinking about the health of the Holy Father, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter,“ the cardinal said.
“We are praying today for the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and our hope is that he will recover well in the Grace of God,“ Brazilian priest Don Wellison told AFP.
Professor Sergio Alfieri, who leads the pope's medical team at the Gemalli, said Friday the pontiff's condition has been slightly improving, allowing doctors to incrementally lower the amount of medication he is taking.
“Is the pope out of danger? No, the pope is not out of danger,“ Alfieri said, but added: “If you then ask whether he is in danger of dying at this moment, the answer is still no.”
He has often joked about the scheming his health woes inevitably prompt, particularly among those who oppose his attempts at reform.
- A lot of respect -
But Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, who leads the Holy See's powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said he had heard no particular manoeuvring this time.
“So far I perceive a lot of respect.”
But he has suffered increasing health issues, from his colon surgery to a hernia operation in 2023.
He is also overweight and suffers constant hip and knee pain, which force him to use a wheelchair most of the time.
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