# Pope Francis

Vatican says Francis is in stable condition but ‘prognosis remains guarded’ as vigils continue at St Peter’s Basilica

Pope Francis has thanked well-wishers for their support after missing his Sunday Angelus for a third week in a row as he remains in hospital with pneumonia.

The pontiff, 88, remained in a stable condition on Sunday after a  on Friday that caused him to vomit, the Vatican said.

The statement added that the pope did not require “non-invasive mechanical ventilation”, just “high-flow oxygen therapy” and did not have a fever. However, “given the complexity of the clinical picture, the prognosis remains guarded”, the statement said.

A Vatican official said that Friday’s respiratory crisis does not appear to have caused long-term damage.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on 14 February and was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection and pneumonia in both lungs.

“I would like to thank you for the prayers,” Francis said in a message shared on his X account. “I feel all your affection and closeness and … I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people.”

In a separate message he said he was praying “above all for peace”. “From here, war appears even more absurd,” he said. “Let us pray for martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Kivu.”

On Sunday morning the Vatican said the pope had rested well overnight. He later met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state.

The pope had an episode akin to an asthma attack on Friday that caused him to inhale vomit.

The pope is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed while he was training to be a priest in his native Argentina.

Nightly prayer vigils for the pope’s health are continuing to take place at St Peter’s Basilica as well as in towns and cities across Italy and abroad.

Before his hospital admission, the pope maintained an intense schedule, especially with events related to the .

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