ROME — Pope Francis remained in critical but stable condition at a hospital on Tuesday due to a battle with double pneumonia. Despite his health challenges, he continued to work on significant governance tasks, indicating a focus on future plans.
According to the Vatican’s evening update, the 88-year-old pope had stable blood parameters and had not experienced any new respiratory crises. A follow-up CAT scan was conducted to monitor the lung infection, though results were not disclosed. Doctors have described his prognosis as cautious.
A Vatican statement noted, “In the morning, after receiving the Eucharist, he resumed work activities.”
Within the day’s updates, the Vatican shared several major decisions made by Pope Francis. Notably, he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra on Monday, marking the first known meeting with Parolin since Francis’s hospitalization on February 14. Parolin serves as the equivalent of the Vatican’s prime minister. This was also the first outsider visit since the Italian Premier’s call on February 19.
During this meeting, the pope sanctioned decrees to declare two new saints and move five individuals closer to beatification, beginning their journey towards potential sainthood. Additionally, he scheduled a consistory—a formal gathering of cardinals—to decide on dates for future canonizations.
The pope typically approves decrees from the Vatican’s saint-making office on-site at the Vatican during meetings with the office head rather than Parolin. A consistory is an essential official step, and usually, a date is not set immediately. The urgency to pass these decrees while the pope’s condition was precarious was puzzling, considering some candidates had awaited progress for years or more.
The decree signing reiterated that the pope remains in command and publicly honored Parolin’s audience, though it did raise a few eyebrows. Observers recalled the ceremonial consistory held on February 11, 2013, during which Pope Benedict XVI announced in Latin his resignation, a first in 600 years of papal history.
Pope Francis has previously mentioned he’d consider resignation if future health issues hindered him from fulfilling his papal duties, owing that decision to Benedict’s precedent. Giovanna Chirri, the reporter who broke Benedict’s resignation news due to her Latin knowledge, speculated that Francis is unlikely to follow suit, despite some expectations. “I hope not,” she told an interviewer, adding that the world and the church need him as long as he’s alive.
English biographer Austen Ivereigh linked Francis’s decision to personal freedom, asserting that, “The pope has always said the papacy is for life.” He added that Francis might consider stepping down if a long-term debilitating condition emerged, a sentiment any future pope could share.
Should Pope Francis choose resignation, he has expressed plans to reside in Rome, outside the Vatican, adopting the title “emeritus bishop of Rome” to prevent issues posed by Benedict’s papal retirement. Benedict had become a figure for conservatives until his passing in 2022, despite his retirement efforts.
The Vatican has suppressed resignation rumors that emerged with Francis’s hospitalization. Cardinal Parolin, speaking to a news outlet, dismissed this as “useless” speculation, emphasizing Francis’ health as the priority.
Alongside announcing Parolin’s audience, the Vatican released Francis’s message for Lent, established various new bishop appointments, and adjusted Vatican City State laws to define a new hierarchy. While many of these changes had been anticipated, including the Lent message signed before hospitalization, the Vatican confirmed that Francis continues to sign documents even in the hospital.
Given his age, frailty, and preexisting condition of a partially removed lung, Francis’s situation is seen as touch-and-go. Despite this, his supporters maintain hope for his recovery while some critics speculate otherwise.
“I’m a witness to everything he did for the church,” said Honduran Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga in an interview, sharing support and belief that it is not yet time for Francis to depart.
As concerns for his health persist, ordinary Romans and visitors prayed for his recovery. Hoang Phuc Nguyen, a visitor from Canada participating in a pilgrimage, visited the hospital to offer a prayer. “He is our father and it is our responsibility to pray for him,” Nguyen expressed.
