Pope Francis: Vatican Issues Fresh Statement on Pontiff’s Health, Shares His Current State

Pope Francis: Vatican Issues Fresh Statement on Pontiff’s Health, Shares His Current State

  • The Vatican has issued a fresh statement on the health of Pope Francis, who has been battling respiratory issues
  • Pope Francis, 88, has been hospitalized with severe bronchitis, raising concerns about his ability to continue leading the Catholic Church and prompting discussions about succession
  • The statement hinted at the current state of the pope, as of Wednesday morning, February 26, 2025

The Vatican has broken silence on the state of health of Pope Francis, who has been battling respiratory issues in the hospital.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who has battled respiratory issues for years, was recently hospitalized with severe bronchitis, forcing him to cancel several public engagements.

Vatican shares update on Pope's health in short statement
Vatican releases statement on Pope's current condition. Photo: Vatican Pool
Source: Getty Images

Reports indicate that Pope Francis has been experiencing significant discomfort and has confided in close aides about his uncertainty regarding recovery.

Vatican breaks silence on Pope Francis' health

As the world awaits an update on Pope Francis’ health condition, the Vatican has issued a fresh statement.

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The terse statement gave an insight into his current state of health.

A post by @vaticannews on Instagram shared the nine-word statement which read:

“The Pope had a quiet night and is resting.”

It did not provide any further details, though the caption on the Instagram post gave an insight towards how he was faring in hospital.

The caption read:

"Pope Francis had a quiet night and is resting on Wednesday morning, according to the Holy See Press Office. On Tuesday evening, the Press Office said the Pope's clinical condition "remains critical but stable," noting he has not had any further acute respiratory crises.
"In the evening, he underwent a scheduled CT scan to monitor the bilateral pneumonia. The prognosis remains guarded," said the statement."

According to the Independent, the 88-year-old Pope is spending his 13th day at Rome's Gemelli hospital, marking his longest stay since he began his papacy 12 years ago.

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Pope's ailing health sparks urgent decisions

Reports indicate that Pope Francis has been experiencing significant discomfort and has confided in close aides about his uncertainty regarding recovery.

Medical experts monitoring his condition have described it as a "complex clinical picture," with signs of worsening respiratory complications.

Vatican issues fresh statement on Pope's health condition
Faithful Catholics hold portraits of Pope Francis as they attend a mass for his healing in Buenos Aires. Photo: Luis Robayo
Source: Getty Images

Politico reported that his recent hospitalisation has raised concerns about his ability to continue leading the Church, prompting discussions about succession within the Vatican, as reported Politico.

Despite his declining health, Pope Francis has been making strategic moves to solidify his legacy. Before his hospitalisation, he extended the tenure of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as the dean of the College of Cardinals.

Catholic priest faults AI images of Pope

In a related story by Legit.ng, a Nigerian Catholic priest, Fr Kelvin Ugwu, blasted people for using Pope Francis’ health condition as social media content.

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Faulting AI-generated images of the hospitalised pontiff, the Catholic priest warned people against false reportage of the Pope’s ailment.

Many who came across his post shared their views on the issues he raised, as they gave their opinion on the current state of the Catholic church and Christianity at large.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Victoria Nwahiri avatar

Victoria Nwahiri (Human Interest Editor) Victoria Nwahiri is a Reuters-certified journalist with 4+ years of experience in digital, social media, and print journalism. As a one-time freelancer and full-time journalist, she has extensively covered lifestyle, entertainment, and human interest stories that have impacted and attracted top policymakers. She is currently a Human Interest Editor at Legit.ng and can be reached via victoria.nwahiri@corp.legit.ng