Cardinals living in Rome join Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the recitation of the rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 28, 2025. Pope Francis has been hospitalized since Feb. 14 with double pneumonia. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)
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Pope Francis is now in stable condition and he is not showing any signs of an infection following a serious setback on Friday during his ongoing hospitalization for double pneumonia, the Vatican said Saturday evening
"The Holy Father is without fever and shows no leukocytosis," according to a Vatican statement released at 6:45 p.m local time on March 1.
Leukocytosis is a condition of high white blood cell count, which would indicate an infection.
The 88-year-old pontiff, who has been hospitalized for 16 days, the longest hospitalization of his pontificate, experienced a bronchial spasm on Friday that caused him to vomit. Doctors are now monitoring Francis closely to see if the episode leads to further infection.
The Vatican also said on Saturday evening that the pope had not experienced any new respiratory crises and that he alternated between noninvasive mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy throughout the day.
The pope's blood pressure also remains stable, according to the Vatican's Saturday evening medical bulletin,
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The pontiff, who is being treated at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, spent the day "actively collaborating" in respiratory physiotherapy and continues to eat normally.
Yesterday’s bronchial spasm did not affect the pope's other organs, according to Vatican sources.
Francis' prognosis remains "reserved," meaning that he is not out of danger yet, as his doctors continue to monitor his recovery from pneumonia and assess whether there was any long term damage that resulted from the Feb. 28 bronchial spasm.
The text of the pope's weekly Sunday Angelus prayer will be published tomorrow, March 2, but Francis will not deliver it. This marks the third Sunday in a row that the pontiff has not been able to lead the weekly prayer, setting a new record.
A Vatican organized rosary prayer service for the pope's health and recovery will continue on Saturday night for the fifth evening in a row. Dozens of Rome-based cardinals have been joining together in prayer with Roman curia officials and lay faithful.
Tonight's service — which has been moved from St. Peter's Square to inside the basilica due to rain in Rome — will be led by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.
The National Catholic Reporter's Rome Bureau is made possible in part by the generosity of Joan and Bob McGrath.
