Pope Francis: Vatican Releases First Photo of Pontiff Since He was Admitted in Hospital, Many React

• The Vatican has released a photo of the ailing Pope Francis for the first time since he was hospitalised
• Pope Francis, 88, has been hospitalised with severe bronchitis, raising concerns about his ability to continue leading the Catholic Church and prompting discussions about succession
• The photo showed Pope Francis praying in the hospital and was released on Sunday evening, March 16, 2025

The Vatican released Pope Francis's first photo since his hospitalisation on February 14, 2025.

The 88-year-old pontiff, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was recently hospitalised with severe bronchitis, forcing him to cancel several public engagements.

As many looked forward to an update on Pope Francis’ health condition, the Vatican issued a photo of the pontiff since he was admitted.

The photo was shared in the Instagram post by @vaticannews, to the amazement of his followers.

The photo was captioned:

"The Holy See Press Office has released a picture of Pope Francis in prayer after concelebrating the Eucharist this morning. It's the first to be released since the Pope's hospitalisation on 14 February."

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See the photo below:

The photo was released after the Pope opened up on what he was going through, during his traditional Sunday message from his sick bed in the hospital.

He was reported as saying:

"I am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me."

Reactions trail Pope's first photo since hospitalisation

Those who saw the photo shared their observations and prayed for the Pope.

Legit.ng compiled some of the comments.

@maximova.olga.8 said:

"Dear Pope Francis, I pray for your speedy recovery. We love You very much."

@kennethmichael914 said:

"I will try my "HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS" to make it to mass at 7 am. in the morning at the ST. James Cathedral Roman Catholic Church in downtown Orlando, Florida."

@ninjaxii said:

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Pope Francis finally opens up on what he's going through in hospital

"Finally."

@soph.ia2265 said:

"Glad to see him , its so reassuring . We wish him full recovery . We miss him so much and we hope he will return among us soon."

jdeedee.c.e said:

"Papaaaaa !!!!! Our Papa Francesco !!! We love you so much Papa, God bless you !!! We are still praying for you, we will never stop."

In a related story, the Catholic Church celebrated the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis differently on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

The leader of the Catholic church marked the 12th anniversary of his election from his sick bed at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

Vatican releases doctors' update on Pope's health

Legit.ng reported earlier that the Vatican issued a fresh statement on the health of Pope Francis, with an update from the doctors attending to him, hinting at the state of the ailing pope, as of Wednesday morning, March 12, 2025.

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According to the statement, the clinical situation of the Pope remained stable with doctors confirming slight improvements.

This came days after the Pope experienced two setbacks in the hospital earlier this month.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng