Vatican City, Holy See—A critically ill Pope Francis, battling pneumonia in both lungs, was up and out of bed Wednesday after a peaceful night, a Vatican source said.
Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with breathing difficulties, after which his condition deteriorated, sparking widespread concern among Catholics.
After suffering respiratory attacks at the weekend that required high levels of oxygen and blood transfusions, the Vatican has said the pope’s condition has stabilized, but he remains in a critical condition.
The pontiff, now in his 13th day at the hospital, was on Wednesday “sitting in a chair, and continuing with the treatment as normal,” a Vatican source said.
A brief official update from the Holy See earlier said he had “passed a peaceful night and is resting.”
As Catholics across the globe pray for Francis, doctors have warned the path to recovery could be long, with the pope likely staying in hospital beyond this week.
A medical bulletin on Tuesday evening said the Argentine pontiff’s “clinical condition remains critical but stable.”
“There have been no acute respiratory episodes and hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable,” the Vatican said, referring to measurements such as heart rate and blood pressure.
Francis had a new scan “in the evening for radiological monitoring of bilateral pneumonia,” the Vatican said. “The prognosis remains reserved,” it added.
Despite his critical condition, the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics has kept up with Church matters from his hospital suite, according to the Vatican.
On Wednesday he signed off a series of bishop appointments, it said.
Pilgrims and faithful have been flocking to the Vatican and the Gemelli to pray for Francis, and there will be a fresh round of prayers held in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday evening.
‘Praying for you’
The Argentine pope worked Monday too, receiving the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Francis approved the canonisation of two Venezuelan and Italian laymen who died in the early 20th century, while authorising the first steps towards sainthood for three 19th-century priests.
He also called the parish priest of Gaza’s Catholic community, as he has routinely done since the war there broke out, the Vatican said.
This time, he was thanking him for a video the parish sent him.
“The whole world is praying for you… and everyone wishes you good health,” the priest said in the video, published on Vatican News.
Catholics left messages and candles outside the hospital, where a group of faithful held up a banner reading: “Today, more than ever, we need you Francis.”
Dozens of people attended special prayers for the pope at an Argentine church in Rome Tuesday evening, led by Italian Cardinal Baldassare Reina.
In the chapel of Our Lady of Lujan at the Santa Maria Addolorata church, faithful could leave messages for Francis in a notebook, which would then be sent to him.
“Prayers are being sent from every part of the world… Let it become a choral prayer, (to) give Pope Francis health, strength, give him the ability to face this moment too, as he has always done,” Reina said.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “Pope Francis critical but stable, Vatican says.”