Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, Vatican says
Pope Francis has bilateral pneumonia, Vatican says
Pope Francis has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia in both lungs shared the Vatican Tuesday. "The polymicrobial infection, which arose on a picture of bronchiectasis and asmatiform bronchitis, and which required the use of antibiotic cortisone therapy, makes the therapeutic treatment more complex," a Vatican statement said.
ROME - Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs, according to new tests, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis which required the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment.
Pontiff receiving treatment
What we know:
Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in "fair" condition last Friday after his bronchitis worsened.
A general view shows the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Policlinico A. Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is hospitalised for tests and treatment for bronchitis, on Feb. 18, 2025, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Medical personnel found that the pope was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection.
Dig deeper:
A polymicrobial respiratory tract infection means a mix of viruses and bacteria and possibly other organisms have colonized in a patient’s respiratory tract.
To date, Francis is not known to be using supplemental oxygen, and he has eaten breakfast every day, read the newspapers and done some work from his hospital room.
What they're saying:
"The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon ... demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
What we don't know:
The Vatican hasn't provided any information about how Francis is responding to any of the drugs he has been given other than to say he isn't running a fever.
"A high fever is a sign of an immune response to a pathogen," Dr. Carmelo D’Asero, an infectious disease and geriatric disease expert in Rome, said. "Having a low fever and having a serious bronchial infection ... is a sign of a decreased immune response and that makes us worry a little bit more, let’s say. Maybe if he had a fever, it would have been better."
What is pneumonia?
Bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, which is a deeper and far more serious infection of the lungs’ air sacs. Pneumonia can develop in part of one lung or an entire lung or both lungs. It tends to be more serious when both lungs are affected because there isn’t healthy lung tissue to compensate.
Treatment varies by severity but can include providing oxygen through a nasal tube or mask, intravenous fluids, and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection.
Lung removed
The backstory: Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter. He has admitted in the past that he is a non-compliant patient, and even his close Vatican aides have said he pushed himself too far even once his bronchitis was diagnosed.
He refused to let up on his busy schedule and ignored medical advice to stay indoors during Rome’s chilly winter, insisting on sitting through an outdoor Jubilee Mass for the armed forces on Feb. 9 even though he was having trouble breathing.
Francis’ hospital admission this year has already sidelined him for longer than a 2023 hospitalization for pneumonia.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.