Pope Francis’s condition is improving, and doctors no longer fear for his life, the Vatican announced Monday, stating the 88-year-old pontiff could be discharged within days. While his condition remains “complex, even if there is no imminent danger” to his life, medical staff have lifted their reserved prognosis after steady progress.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to be stable,” the Vatican said in a statement. “The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy.”
Doctors have recommended that the pope remain in the hospital for “several more days” to complete his treatment, given “the complexity of the pope’s clinical picture and the severe infection present at the time of hospitalisation.”
A Vatican source earlier in the day said it was “too soon to talk about his return to Santa Marta,” though his discharge is expected once therapy is complete.
Francis has been undergoing physical and respiratory therapy and, as in previous days, has alternated between an oxygen mask at night and a high-flow oxygen cannula during the day. While he has not been seen publicly since his admission, he has followed Vatican prayers via video link and issued a breathless audio message last week thanking people for their prayers.
Pilgrims worldwide continue to pray for his recovery. “I feel saddened like he is my own father since he has been sick,” said Francis Than Htun, auxiliary bishop of Yangon.
Despite missing his Angelus prayer for four consecutive Sundays, Francis expressed gratitude for his medical care in a written message, saying, “I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart.”
