Pope Francis shows 'slight improvement' during fourth week in hospital, Vatican says

Pope Francis has seemingly shown "slight improvement" and is responding good to ongoing oxygen therapy, according to a connection from the Vatican. 

The 88-year-old pontiff has been successful the infirmary since Feb. 14, erstwhile helium was admitted for respiratory issues that were aboriginal recovered to beryllium bilateral pneumonia.

Doctors are keeping the pope’s prognosis nether wraps arsenic they proceed to measure his condition.

Mexican creator Roberto Marquez places a coating of Pope Francis helium made extracurricular the Agostino Gemelli infirmary successful Rome, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

On Thursday, the pope recorded a connection thanking those who had been praying for his recovery. The signaling was "clearly an effort for him," Vatican sources said, pointing retired that the sound from the pope’s oxygen machine could beryllium heard successful the audio.

POPE FRANCIS SUFFERS 2 ACUTE RESPIRATORY CRISES, VATICAN SAYS 

"We could perceive yesterday that helium was getting oxygen done the chemoreceptor during audio, intelligibly helium won't work Angelus," Vatican sources told Fox News.

Pope Francis waves to believers arsenic helium leaves the Cercle Cite aft a gathering Luxembourg's premier curate during a four-day apostolic travel successful Luxembourg and Belgium, successful Luxembourg metropolis connected Sept. 26, 2024.  (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty)

Ash Wednesday besides looked antithetic this year, arsenic the pope was incapable to pb mass. Instead, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis work the pope’s homily aloud astatine Rome’s Santa Sabrina Basilica.

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The pope has had a agelong history of respiratory issues. When helium was conscionable 21 years old, Pope Francis had portion of his lung removed aft processing pleurisy, which is an inflammation of the membranes that cushion the lungs. Now, according to Vatican sources, helium is continuing therapy for bilateral pneumonia.

The Pope has been hospitalized since  Feb. 14 with pneumonia and a bronchial infection. Candles with the pictures of him are the laid nether the statue of precocious Pope John Paul II successful Rome connected Feb. 19, 2025.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

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Catholics crossed the globe person prayed for Pope Francis since helium was archetypal hospitalized successful February. This includes Vice President JD Vance, who offered a supplication for the pope during past month’s National Prayer Breakfast.

"Every time maine and my children person said a supplication for the Holy Father, and we commune for his health, and we commune for his comfortableness arsenic helium deals with what appears to beryllium a beauteous superior wellness crisis," Vance said.