Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for over a week, is in critical condition after a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis,”.
The Vatican disclosed this in a statement released on Saturday, February 22.
The pope is “more unwell than yesterday. The Holy Father’s condition remains critical. The Pope is not out of danger. “The statement in part reads
The 88-year-old pontiff was hospitalized at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome on Feb. 14 for treatment for bronchitis, and was later diagnosed with a polymicrobial infection and is being treated for double pneumonia. The Vatican first announced he had bronchitis on Feb. 6.
He also needed blood transfusions due to anemia and high-flow oxygen during the respiratory crisis, the Vatican said on Saturday. Still, the pope is alert and spent much of the day seated in an armchair.
The Vatican says his prognosis remains “guarded.”