Pope Francis was resting Monday morning after a quiet night on the 10th day of hospitalization for a complex pulmonary infection that caused the early stages of kidney failure, the Vatican said.
The one-line statement did not say whether 88-year-old Francis has woken up. “The night went well, the Pope is asleep and resting,” it said.
Late Sunday, doctors reported that blood tests nevertheless showed early renal failure. They said Francis remains in danger, but he has not experienced any further breathing crisis since Saturday.
He was receiving a high stream of supplementary oxygen and was wary and reactive on Sunday, attending Mass. They said his prognosis was protected.
The doctor said Francis’ condition is moving given his age, vulnerability and existing lung disease. They warn that the main threat facing Francis is sepsis, a serious blood infection that can occur as a complication of pneumonia.
To date, there has been no mention of the onset of sepsis in the medical renewal provided by the Vatican, including Sunday.
Monday marks Francis’ 10th day at the hospital, making this equivalent to his Pope’s longest hospitalization. He spent 10 days at Gemeri Hospital in Rome in 2021, when his 33cm (13 inches) colon was removed.
In New York on Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan acknowledged what Roman church leaders hadn’t said publicly.
“Because our holy father Pope Francis is very fragile and healthy, and perhaps close to death,” Dolan said in Homily from the pulpit at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but he later told reporters that Francis was not a stint. “I prayed for it to bounce. Back.”
The doctor said Francis’ condition is moving given his age, vulnerability and existing lung disease. His condition revived speculation about what would happen if he became unconscious or otherwise incompetent, and whether he would resign.
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