Pope Francis remained in critical condition and was “not out of danger,” the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday evening in Rome.
The 88-year-old Pontiff “experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity” Saturday morning that required the administration of high-flow oxygen, according to the Vatican’s medical update. Blood tests revealed a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), associated with anemia, which required blood transfusions.
While the Holy Father remained alert and spent the day in an armchair, he was “more uncomfortable than yesterday,” the statement said, describing the prognosis as guarded.
The Vatican confirmed earlier Saturday that the Pope would not lead the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Feb. 23. During a press conference at Gemelli Hospital on Friday, the medical team caring for the Pontiff had described his condition as serious, noting that Pope Francis was fully aware of his situation.
Prayerful presence marked the scene outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon as religious sisters and faithful gathered to petition for Pope Francis’ recovery through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Local Catholics and jubilee pilgrims in Rome were praying for Pope Francis’ recovery as he marked one week in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and bronchitis.
Pilgrim groups and individuals from around the world continued to travel to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, and though they would not catch a glimpse of the Pontiff, he remained close to their hearts.
As they prepared to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, a group of about 50 pilgrims from Our Lady of Nantes Parish in France told CNA they were praying for the Pope’s full recovery. The group had planned to attend the Angelus with the Pope on Feb. 23, but now, “we pray for him and we hope that everything will be OK,” seminarian Aymeric Dor said.
Dor recalled that one of the conditions to receive the Holy Door plenary indulgence was to pray for the Pope’s intentions, which he said they were doing: “We are praying for his health too.”
Agata Eccli, who was part of a pilgrimage of 57 people from different parishes and towns in Poland, said her group was not only praying for Pope Francis during their visit to St. Peter’s Basilica but also at each of the stops they made on an Italy-wide pilgrimage, including the tomb of St. Anthony in Padua, St. Francis in Assisi, St. Peter in Rome, and St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Families were also keeping the ailing Pontiff in their prayers, including Italian couple Andrea Paradisi and Chiara Costa, who brought their 4-month-old baby, Margherita, on a pilgrimage to Rome over the weekend for the jubilee.
Marcin Bogacki of Warsaw, Poland, told CNA he had fond memories of visiting Rome as a child during the Jubilee Year in 2000 and wanted to have the same experience with his own young family.
Though his wife is expecting their second child and was unable to fly at this time, Bogacki brought his mother and his 4-year-old son. He said they were praying for Pope Francis, for the Church, for a private family intention, and for his wife and their unborn baby.
Across Rome, local Catholics were offering Masses and special prayers for Pope Francis’ health.
The chaplain of Gemelli Hospital — where the Pontiff was receiving treatment — was offering Mass for Francis every day at 1 p.m. in the hospital’s chapel.
On Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter — a day that commemorates the authority Jesus gave to the Pope — a group of Catholics planned to gather outside Gemelli Hospital to pray a rosary for the Pope’s health.
At the Basilica of St. Mary Major, every Mass was being offered for the Pope, the basilica’s communications director told CNA, including Masses celebrated in the chapel of the ancient Salus Populi Romani image of Mary — a favorite of Francis, who spent time in prayer in the chapel before and after every international trip.
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, responded to reports in recent days discussing the possibility of Pope Francis’ resignation.
“All of this seems to me to be unfounded speculation,” he said. “Right now, our focus is on the Holy Father’s health, his recovery, and his return to the Vatican—these are the only things that matter.”
Cardinal Parolin, who had recently returned from a visit to the West African nation of Burkina Faso, had informed the Pope that he was available to visit him at the hospital if necessary, but so far, “there has been no need.”
“In this regard,” he added, “it is better for him to remain protected and have as few visits as possible so that he can rest, allowing the treatment to be more effective. Thanks be to God, the updates from Gemelli Hospital are encouraging – he is recovering well. Some official documents have even been sent to him, which means he is progressing.”
Meanwhile, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, in an interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nacion, stated that “it makes no sense for some groups to exert pressure for a resignation. They have done so on several occasions in recent years, but this can only ever be a completely free decision of the Holy Father in order for it to be valid.”
“I do not perceive a pre-conclave atmosphere, nor do I see more discussion about a possible successor than there was a year ago—nothing out of the ordinary,” he added. “What matters to me is that the Pope’s body has responded well to the current therapy.”
With Vatican News files
