Religious Sisters and dozens of faithful gather around the statue of St. John Paul II at Gemelli Hospital in Rome to pray the Rosary for Pope Francis.Pope Francis’ condition over the last day “has shown further slight improvement,” the Holy See Press Office states in an update Wednesday evening Rome time.
A chest CT scan performed at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday “showed a normal evolution of the pulmonary inflammatory picture,” the statement says. The mild kidney failure the pope has experienced “has receded.”
While the pope continues “high-flow oxygen therapy,” the statement says, he has not experienced any respiratory crises.
“While registering a slight improvement, the prognosis remains reserved,” the statement says.
Pope Francis received the Eucharist in the morning and “the afternoon was devoted to work activities,” the statement concludes.
The day before, a Wednesday update indicated “There have been no acute respiratory episodes, and hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable.”
“In the evening, he underwent a scheduled CT scan to radiologically monitor the bilateral pneumonia,” the update said.
Twice-daily statements have kept the faithful informed about the pope’s health since he was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Friday, February 14, following a bout of bronchitis.
The 88-year-old is currently being treated for double pneumonia, and a health update last week noted that he is also showing signs of mild renal insufficiency, which appears to be under control.
(Photo by Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.)
Catholic News Agency
