Pope not out of health danger, but not 'in danger of death,' doctor says

After a week in hospital with severe respiratory issues, Pope Francis, 88, has shown some improvement but is not out of danger, Sergio Alfieri, one of his doctors said in a press conference Friday.

“Is he out of danger? No. But if the question is ‘is he in danger of death,’ the answer is ‘no,’” Alfieri said.

The pope is a "fragile" patient Alfieri said, given his advanced age and chronic health issues, and that his health condition could change by the day.

He added, however, that the Pope remains in "good spirits." He is not attached to breathing machines, and is able to get out of bed, go to an armchair and work, and has gone to the hospital chapel to pray.

Francis will remain at Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, one of Italy’s largest hospitals, "until he recovers enough to be able to return to the Vatican," Alfieri said. "It could be days, even weeks. He will stay in hospital at least throughout next week."

It is not clear whether the Pope will deliver the Angelus prayer this coming Sunday, with the doctors expecting to make a recommendation the day before.

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The Pope was admitted to Gemelli hospital for bronchitis on Feb. 14.

Earlier this week, the Vatican said that he had developed pneumonia in both lungs and that the polymicrobial infection has “arisen in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and has required the use of corticosteroid and antibiotics,” which “makes the therapeutic treatment more complex.”

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By Wednesday, he was beginning to show slight improvements, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni describing him as being in good spirits following their meeting that afternoon.

“I am very happy to have found him alert and responsive,” Meloni said. “We joked as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humor.”

Polymicrobial diseases are caused by combinations of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Francis has contended with repeated health issues in recent years, including from influenza and respiratory infections. In 2021, he underwent surgery to address diverticulitis, or a painful inflammation in the intestine, and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.

Last month, he wore a sling on his arm after falling at his residence, weeks after bruising his face in a fall.

Francis, the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics since 2013, often uses a wheelchair because of back and knee pain.