Three weeks in hospital How is Pope Francis really doing?

Pope Francis has now been in hospital for three weeks - after being admitted due to bronchitis, which was followed by pneumonia. Doctors who are not responsible for his treatment are expecting a difficult time for the 88-year-old, even if he makes a full recovery from the illness.

DPA

07.03.2025, 22:40

07.03.2025, 23:04

dpa

- Why was Pope Francis hospitalized in the first place?

The head of the Catholic Church was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after weeks of bronchitis had caused him increasing difficulty speaking. A few days later, the Vatican announced that the Pope had a complex respiratory infection. The Pope then fell ill with inflammation of both lungs and was treated with antibiotics, among other things.

- How bad is it?

"He is an 88-year-old who has been in hospital for three weeks receiving acute treatment," said doctor Andrew Chadwick, a respiratory specialist at Oxford University Hospitals in the UK. "That's not a sign that things are going well." Such a long hospitalization for a person of the Pope's age is very worrying, Chadwick said. "The road ahead for him still looks bumpy."

The Pope's doctors have described his condition as stable. However, he is still at risk.

- What worries the doctors in particular?

That the pope has had shortness of breath and complications so often, as well as the fact that he relies on devices to help him breathe, suggests that "the pneumonia is more severe and requires more intensive supportive measures," said Johns Hopkins University pulmonary medicine chief Meredith McCormack. "It sounds like there may be no signs of clear improvement and some ongoing signs of severe infection, such as the continued need for oxygen." The pope has been given supplemental oxygen in hospital. According to the Vatican, the Pope last had difficulty breathing on Monday, since when his condition has stabilized.

Doctors warn that the longer he stays in hospital, the greater the likelihood of other complications, such as infections from catheters, wounds from lying down so much or further pneumonia.

- Are there any encouraging signs that Pope is getting better?

According to Jeffrey Millstein, a lecturer in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, it is positive that Pope has not yet been dependent on a ventilator. This would probably be the next step if the Pope could not breathe well enough with the non-invasive methods that have been used on him so far.

The Vatican released a short audio recording on Thursday in which the pope thanks people for their wishes for his recovery. Although the head of the church's voice had sounded much weaker than normal, the audio message was a good sign, said McCormack. "It really shows that he is still able to communicate in a meaningful way," said the doctor. "If you were hooked up to life support...you couldn't do that."

- How long could the recovery take?

Quite a long time. McCormack said for every week a patient spends in the hospital, the recovery time is about a month.

Massachusetts General Hospital's Division Chief of Pulmonary Medicine, Eric Schmidt, pointed out that severe pneumonia can have lasting consequences. "It's not just a disease of the lungs," he said. "It really affects multiple parts of the body." Severe pneumonia can later lead to memory loss, concentration problems, muscle weakness and depression, he said.

From an expert's point of view, it would be good if the Pope could leave the state of acute illness behind him and begin rehabilitation treatment, Chadwick said.

This week, the Pope received physiotherapy for his respiratory system as well as physiotherapy for his mobility.

"Even if he miraculously got better today, he will probably need a longer period of rehab," Chadwick said. "The Pope will probably have to rest for a while and cut back on some of his normal official duties."