(FILES) Pope Francis gestures during an audience of the Jubilee of the World of Communication, at Paul-VI hall in the Vatican on January 25, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Vatican City: Pope Francis celebrated the start of the Lent religious season from his hospital suite on Wednesday, the 88-year-old's condition stable but still complex as he undergoes treatment for double pneumonia, the Vatican said.
The Argentine pontiff, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14, suffering several respiratory attacks that have sparked alarm across the globe.
In its evening update on Wednesday, the Vatican said his condition was stable and he spent the day in an armchair, with no repeat of Monday's episodes of respiratory failure.
Francis missed the formal Ash Wednesday celebrations in Rome marking the start of Lent, but took part in a blessing in the private suite reserved for popes on the 10th floor of the Gemelli.
He also did some work and in the morning made what had previously been his daily call to the only Catholic priest in Gaza, the Vatican said.
However it added that "given the complexity of the clinical picture, the prognosis remains reserved", meaning doctors will not say how they expect his condition to evolve.
