Pope Francis has addressed followers for the first time since he was said to be in ‘critical condition’ in hospital following a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis
Pope Francis has broken his silence to address millions of people in the Roman Catholic Church amid an ongoing health scare.
The pope, 88, thanked people for their well wishes and prayers, but made no mention of the status of his health in a post to X shared today (Sunday, February 23). On Saturday he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection and received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe.
Francis, who has chronic lung disease and is prone to bronchitis in winter, was admitted to hospital on February 14 and had not made a public statement since February 16 after his health grew continually worse.
Yesterday, the Vatican confirmed he was in a critical condition. In an update on Sunday Morning, it said Francis had rested during a peaceful night. The Vatican’s latest statement made no mention of whether the pontiff was up or eating breakfast, but Francis has since addressed Catholics in two posts on social media.
His second post said: “I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children. Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”
In the prior post, Francis issued a cryptic message urging followers to “transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world” and to not be “afraid to take risks for love”.
“I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone,” he wrote.
The messages will come as a relief to the pope’s admires and supports following updates on his health from the Vatican. The statement on Saturday had said that the pontiff “continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday”.
Doctors said the prognosis was “reserved”. Medical experts have said Francis’ condition is touch and go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease, and that the main threat facing him is if the infection enters the bloodstream, a serious condition known as sepsis.
Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed “absolute rest” and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needs it.
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