On Tuesday, doctors announced Pope Francis was no longer in immediate danger as the 88-year-old pontiff recovers in hospital from double pneumonia.
The Vatican on Tuesday announced that Pope Francis had a restful night and woke up around 8 am CET, another positive update after the pontiff’s prognosis was upgraded on Monday evening.
The pope’s doctors have lifted an earlier prognosis of “guarded”, meaning the pontiff’s life is no longer in danger.
Doctors however warned he would still be hospitalised for several more days to receive treatment, on top of a likely period of rehabilitation.
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with a severe respiratory infection more than three weeks ago, and has been an inpatient ever since. He was first treated for bronchitis before being diagnosed with double pneumonia.
He is still using supplemental oxygen during the day and a ventilation mask at night in order to help him breathe.
It its latest medical update, the Vatican said doctors had deemed his condition stable with some improvement.
“Improvements recorded in previous days were further consolidated, as confirmed by both blood tests and clinical findings, as well as by the pope’s good response to pharmacological therapy,” the Vatican said.
The pope has been described as being in stable condition for the past week, having suffered two crises of “acute respiratory insufficiency” in early March.
The 88-year-old pontiff has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years. He has been prone to lung infections since having one part of his lung removed as a young adult.
His current hospital stay is the longest in his 12-year-papacy.
In a sign of his improved health, Pope Francis followed the Vatican’s weeklong spiritual retreat via video link on Monday, joining both morning and afternoon sessions.
