By Michelle Rimmer in Rome, ABC
Pope Francis celebrates the mass for the Jubilee of the Armed Forces at St. Peter's square in the Vatican on 9 February 2025. Photo: AFP / Alberto Pizzoli
Pope Francis is not in "immediate danger of death", his doctors say, but the 88-year-old's condition remains "fragile" as he battles respiratory issues in a Rome hospital.
Since he was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on 14 February with breathing difficulties, the Vatican has drip-fed information as to the religious leader's prognosis, at one point describing it as a "complex clinical situation".
But on Friday, local time, his medical team gave an extensive update.
"Is he out of danger? No. But if the question is 'is he in danger of death?', the answer is 'no'," Dr Sergio Alfieri, who's in charge of the Pope's care, said.
Alfieri described the octogenarian - who's battling bronchitis and pneumonia - as a "fragile" patient who was at risk of complications, including sepsis.
His medical team said Pope Francis was in "good spirits", able to get out of bed, has a good appetite and wanted his health condition to be reported to the world "without hiding anything".
They say it was up to him to decide whether he would participate in weekly public payers this Sunday and reiterated that Pope Francis would remain in hospital "as long as is necessary" for treatment.
Like clockwork, the Holy See press office has released two official health updates each day since the Pontiff entered hospital.
Though scant on details, it's rare for the Vatican to provide running commentary on the pope's medical condition, so why is it doing that now?
Christopher White, the Vatican correspondent for the US-based National Catholic Reporter, said it might be because this was his "gravest health crisis to date".
"This is the most serious crisis this pope has faced in his papacy; he's an 88-year-old man, he has a number of underlying health conditions, he's struggled with mobility in recent years, primarily relies on a wheelchair to get around and he's gained quite a bit of weight as a result of that, which then compounds his respiratory issues," White told the ABC.
"I think that's why you see much of the world on alert, because of the fact that this is a very serious condition and we don't know how he will emerge from it."
Long recovery likely
When Pope Francis was 21 - then named Jorge Mario Bergoglio and living in Argentina - he had a portion of his right lung removed after he developed pleurisy while battling a previous bout of pneumonia.
This makes him particularly susceptible to respiratory illnesses and can complicate recovery.
"What I'm hearing from papal aides, people close to the pope, is that they're expecting the hospitalisation of at least two weeks, that would be very likely, and that he's going to have a very long recovery inside the Vatican," White said.
For Catholics worldwide, an extended health battle raises questions about the Pope's ability to continue in the role.
In 2013, Pope Benedict became the first Pontiff to voluntarily give up the role since the 12th century, and in doing so, made reset a precedent for resignations.
Pope Francis has not publicly expressed a desire to step aside.
Even while in hospital, he's been taking phone calls and doing paperwork.
In a Vatican news conference on Thursday, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline joked: "If you really want him to rest, you have to hospitalise him."
But when pressed further on whether the pontiff might step down if he doesn't fully recover, the Cardinal said "everything is possible".
From colon surgery to knee problems and sciatica, Pope Francis's time in charge has not been immune to illness, and each time his health comes into question so does the future of the world's largest Christian church, and what a new leader might bring.
"This is not just a global church, it's also a city state, so questions of government come into play and any time there's a health crisis, you wonder about the transition and who might next emerge as Pope," White said.
With each new pope comes a chance for change.
From the moment he emerged on the Vatican balcony in March 2013, Pope Francis redefined expectations and broke from long-standing traditions.
Instead of blessing the crowd as his first public act, he asked the thousands gathered in St Peter's Square to pray for him.
He was named Time Magazine's person of the year and celebrity blog Gawker branded him "our cool new pope".
His surprise election came with the promise of change at a time when the Catholic Church was rocked by sexual abuse scandals and claims of corruption and infighting in the Vatican.
Over the past decade Pope Francis has brought in reforms intended to make the church more open to women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community and sought to repeal laws that allowed bishops to cover up or ignore abuse.
He has, however, maintained a conservative stance on other issues including abortion, birth control, IVF and surrogacy.
- ABC
