Feb. 19 (UPI) — Pope Francis had a “restful” night at a Rome hospital as he battles pneumonia, the Vatican said Wednesday.
“The Pope spent a restful night, woke up and had breakfast,” the Holy See’s press office stated Wednesday.
It added that the holy leader was able to get out of bed and sat in an armchair.
On Tuesday, Vatican officials said the pope developed pneumonia in both lungs as he remained hospitalized in Rome, calling the 88-year-old’s condition “complex.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also visited Gemelli hospital in Rome on Wednesday to wish the pope a speedy recovery on behalf of her country.
“I was very glad to find him alert and responsive,” Meloni stated. “We joked around as always. He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humor.”
Francis suffered bronchitis symptoms last week and delegated speeches to officials before he was admitted to the hospital on Friday.
“Nevertheless, Pope Francis remains in good spirits,” the Vatican added Tuesday.
The pope is susceptible to lung infections after he developed pleurisy as an adult and had part of a lung removed at age 21. Additionally, Francis has been hospitalized for bronchitis multiple times and in 2023 underwent abdominal surgery and received treatment for pneumonia earlier that year.
On Monday, doctors listed him in stable condition as he received treatment for a polymicrobial respiratory infection.
The Vatican stated earlier this week that medical staff prescribed “absolute bed rest” while the aging religious leader was being treated in Rome.
