The health of Pope Francis is improving, with Vatican sources that say that his condition is currently not critical

The health of Pope Franciscus has indicated improved sources of Vatican to CBS News on Friday, and said that he was currently not in critical condition after exactly two weeks in the hospital for bronchitis that developed into pneumonia in both lungs.

“The clinical image remains complex, the criticism has disappeared at the moment, but I would respect the caution of the doctors because the prognosis remains guarded,” said the sources. There was no indication of how long the Pontiff might stay in the hospital.

The Vatican has given a short update twice a day about the health of 88-year-old Pope, and he was improved In recent days, but doctors said that his condition remained critical until Friday.

A CT -breast scan Taken Tuesday evening showed the “normal evolution” of an infection while it is treated. Blood tests have confirmed an improvement, according to the update of the Vatican. The light kidney insufficiency that was detected a few days ago has been withdrawn and Francis continues to receive respiratory physiotherapy.

The bilateral pneumonia The diagnosis of the Pope on 18 February would have been a worrying turn for every patient of his age, but it was mainly concerned for the leader of the Catholic Church, who has long suffered from breathing problems.

The Pope has always held a very busy schedule and he seemed out of breath in some of his public events earlier this month before he was admitted to the hospital on 14 February for what the first was diagnosed as bronchitis.

People gathered outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome to show their support, with many underlying messages and notes near a statue of former Pope John Paul II.

The Vatican has said that Francis is grateful for the “proximity he feels” of his supporters, and that he asked people to pray for him.

This is the fourth hospital admission of the Pope since he took over the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013. He underwent considerably abdominal surgery In 2021 and then had another procedure in 2023 to repair scar tissue and a belly hernia. He was briefly admitted to hospital for pneumonia treatment Earlier that year.

As a young man in his home country Argentina, Francis had removed part of one lung after a lung infection, making him vulnerable to breathing diseases.

The Vatican announced earlier this month that Francis would not celebrate Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Basilica this year because of his continuous recovery. The constant hospitalization of the Pope comes just before the start of the annual Christian compliance with Lent. The 40-day Lenten period starts on Ash Wednesday, which falls on 5 March this year.

Just before Easter last year, Francis refused to attend a good Friday procession in the Colosseum of Rome in an attempt to keep his health, but the pope later led tens of thousands of worshipers in Easter celebrations.