Pope Francis Requests Prayers as He Battles Double Pneumonia

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Pope Francis has called on Catholics to pray for him as he continues to receive treatment for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

For the second consecutive Sunday, the pontiff was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person. Instead, in a message written in recent days, he expressed confidence in his ongoing hospitalisation and treatment.

Following an update from the Vatican on Saturday, it was revealed that the 88-year-old Pope’s condition remains critical. In his message, released yesterday, the Pope thanked the doctors, health workers, and well-wishers who have sent messages of support. “In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” he wrote. “Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me.”

Outside the hospital, well-wishers have continued to gather, lighting candles and leaving them at the foot of a nearby statue of the late Pope John Paul II.

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The Pope was first admitted to the hospital on 14 February after experiencing breathing difficulties. He is especially susceptible to lung infections, having developed pleurisy as an adult and having had part of one lung removed at the age of 21.

During his 12-year tenure as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the Argentine Pope has been hospitalised several times, including in March 2023 for bronchitis. The Vatican has honoured the Pope’s request for transparency about his health by issuing daily statements. However, the tone and length of these announcements have varied, sometimes leading observers to speculate about the true state of his health.

On Saturday, the Vatican reported that Pope Francis was alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he remains “not out of danger” and “more unwell” than the previous day. They also confirmed that he needed blood transfusions due to a low platelet count, linked to anaemia, and required a “high flow” of oxygen. The doctors treating the Pope stated that he was responding to medication but cautioned that his condition was complex and delicate. “He is the Pope,” one doctor noted. “But he is also a man.”

In his Sunday message, the Pope also marked the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, calling for prayers for all victims of armed conflict and for peace in Palestine, Israel, the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu, and Sudan.

The Angelus prayer is traditionally delivered by the Pope from a window of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, accompanied by a short message.

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