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Pope Francis was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and bronchitis and remains in a critical condition having gone on to develop a problem with his kidneys
There is an air of nervousness – of fear – today in Rome as another night passed with Pope Francis remaining in a critical condition.
The rain-sodden streets are still busy with tourists but in St Peter’s Square there is no denying all is not normal. The latest, brief, update from The Vatican this morning said only: “The night went well. The Pope slept and is resting.”
The Vatican’s latest condition update said on Sunday that the Pope was in a critical condition and was showing an “initial, mild” kidney problem. There is a growing international media presence surrounding St Peter’s Basilica – an ominous sign for locals in this time of uncertainty.
Alfredo chiarelli, 70, has sold rose beads outside the cathedral for 45 years. His cheerful sales pitches change as he turns and tells us: “I love The Pope, I am very worried – we all are. It is a strange feeling, carrying on when we know he is very sick. There is so much media now, it’s like he has already died. But we have to hope and pray.”
For Germans Christian Henk, 56, and his daughter Alexandra, 31, it is an unusual time to be tourists in Rome. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Alexandra. “We are checking the news all the time. But the messages seem mixed. We don’t know if things will be open or not and of course people here are very affected by it.”
Sunday evening’s statement said Pope Francis was “vigilant and well-oriented”, and took part in Mass in hospital with those caring for him, but due to the complexity of his case the prognosis was “reserved”. The Pope, 88, has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since February 14 and is being treated for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis.
He has a history of respiratory illness, having lost part of one of his lungs to pleurisy as a young man. He also had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023. Today marks Francis’s 10th day at Gemelli – equalling the longest hospital stay of his papacy.
He spent the same number of days there in 2021 after he had 33cm (13ins) of his colon removed. The messages coming from The Vatican have, up to now, left this most famous of cities without the clarity it seeks, and while the tourists continue to pour in, the simple message from locals is: Pray for The Pope.
