Fri Feb 21 18:38:57 UTC 2025: ## Pope Francis’s Condition Improving, But Remains Hospitalized
**Rome, Italy** – Pope Francis is responding well to treatment for pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection, his medical team announced today. While his condition is improving and is not considered life-threatening, the 88-year-old pontiff remains hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and is not yet out of danger.
Doctors Luigi Carbone and Sergio Alfieri provided the first in-person update on the Pope’s health, reassuring the public that his drug therapy, strengthened after the pneumonia diagnosis earlier this week, is proving effective. The infection, involving bacteria and viruses in the respiratory tract, has not spread to the bloodstream, eliminating the risk of sepsis.
However, the Pope is expected to remain hospitalized for at least the next week to ensure the infection does not spread further. He is receiving supplemental oxygen via a nasal cannula as needed. Despite his illness, Francis has maintained a good appetite and has been able to sit up in an armchair to continue his work, including making bishop appointments.
The Pope was admitted to the hospital on February 14th after a case of bronchitis worsened. His medical team urged the media to refrain from spreading unverified reports following earlier speculation about a deterioration in his health. While there is no established protocol in canon law for papal incapacitation, the doctors’ positive update offers some reassurance to the Catholic world.
First Piper 