VATICAN CITY, March 8 — Pope Francis spent a quiet night in hospital, the Vatican said Saturday, as the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church battles pneumonia.
“The night was calm, the pope is resting”, it said in its brief morning update on the Argentine, who has been in a special papal suite at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14.
The Argentine pontiff has suffered several respiratory crises since his admission, most recently on Monday, but for several days now the Vatican has described his condition as “stable”.
On Thursday Francis released an audio message — the first time the world has heard his voice since his admission to hospital — in which he thanked those praying for his recovery.
The pontiff sounded weak and breathless despite marking three weeks of treatment in hospital.
He was still in a “complex clinical condition” so “the prognosis remains guarded”, the Vatican said Friday. — AFP
