VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis's health conditions are worsening as the pontiff remains in hospital indefinitely being treated for pneumonia in what the Vatican described as a "complex picture."
The 88-year-old pontiff underwent additional exams on Tuesday, with a chest CT scan showed the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required further drug therapy, the Vatican said in a statement.
Pope Francis was hospitalised in Rome on Friday, and his doctors have changed drugs to treat his respiratory tract infection. He received the Eucharist on Tuesday morning and asked for continued prayers, the Vatican said.
Born in Buenos Aires, Francis has been the spiritual leader of the world's Catholics since 2013. He is the first Pope to hail from the Americas and the first non-European pontiff since the 8th century.
On Christmas Eve 2024, Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year — a period of penance, pardon and renewal for Catholics that has typically recurred every 25 years since 1300. Authorities expect as many as 32 million pilgrims in Rome in 2025.
Last week, Pope Francis described Donald Trump's migrant deportations as a "major crisis", prompting a rebuke from the United States president's border czar, who told the pontiff to "stick to the Catholic Church".
A faithful from Bolivia holds lit candles with the portrait of Pope Francis outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted continuing treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, on Monday. (Photo: Reuters)