VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After undergoing a CT scan Feb. 18, Pope Francis was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said.
“The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon,” the Vatican bulletin said, “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy.”
“Laboratory tests, chest X-rays and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” the evening bulletin said.
Doctors had said the day before that tests revealed a “polymicrobial infection” of the 88-year-old pope’s respiratory system, meaning it is caused by a virus-bacteria combination. The infection, along with the “bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis,” which the pope suffers from after years of respiratory problems and repeated bouts of bronchitis, “required the use of cortisone antibiotic therapy,” it said, which made “therapeutic treatment more complex.”
Still, the statement said, “Pope Francis is in good spirits. This morning he received the Eucharist, and throughout the day he alternated rest with prayer and reading texts.”
Pope Francis thanked people “for the closeness he feels at this time and asks, with a grateful heart, that we continue to pray for him,” the press office said.
Earlier in the day, the Vatican had announced that “due to the Holy Father’s health condition,” his appointments had been canceled through Feb. 22.
In addition, the note said, “Pope Francis has delegated Archbishop Rino Fisichella,” pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and chief organizer of the Holy Year 2025, to celebrate the Mass and ordinations of permanent deacons Feb. 23.
Pope Francis was hospitalized Feb. 14 after more than a week of suffering from bronchitis and difficulty breathing.
A source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said Feb. 18 that the pope was breathing on his own without the need for supplemental oxygen.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters Feb. 18 that the pope again had rested well overnight, was eating regularly, reading newspapers and doing some work.
The Vatican had said Feb. 17 that test results showed that the pope is suffering from a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, which required a further modification of his therapy.” Polymicrobial means multiple pathogens are involved.
The pope, who underwent surgery in 1957 to remove part of one of his lungs after suffering a severe respiratory infection, has been susceptible to colds and bouts of bronchitis.
In March 2023, he was hospitalized at Gemelli for three days for what doctors said was a respiratory infection. Pope Francis later said it had been “an acute and strong pneumonia.”