--- title: "Pope Francis shows more improvement, but prognosis still 'guarded', Vatican says" description: "VATICAN CITY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' health is continuing to improve, the Vatican said on Thursday, offering a cautiously upbeat assessment as the 88-year-old pontiff battles against double pneumonia." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Newsdeck" author: "Reuters" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-27-pope-francis-shows-more-improvement-but-prognosis-still-guarded-vatican-says/" published: "2025-02-27T21:24:59" updated: "2025-02-27T21:25:01" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 552 --- # Pope Francis shows more improvement, but prognosis still 'guarded', Vatican says > VATICAN CITY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' health is continuing to improve, the Vatican said on Thursday, offering a cautiously upbeat assessment as the 88-year-old pontiff battles against double pneumonia. By Reuters · Published 27 February 2025, 23:24 SAST · Updated 27 February 2025, 23:25 SAST ## Key points - Pope Francis is showing signs of recovery after a long hospital stay battling a respiratory infection, but as the Vatican reminds us, it's still a "guarded" situation—so don't start planning a papal parade just yet! - Pope Francis shows signs of improvement after 14 nights in hospital due to a severe respiratory infection. - Despite positive updates, doctors maintain a "guarded" prognosis due to the complexity of his condition. - The Vatican has been transparent about the pope's health, aiming to combat misinformation. - Public audience cancelled as Francis continues to lead the Vatican's operations from his hospital bed. ## Content - Pope Francis showed improvement again Thursday, Vatican says - Prognosis for Francis, 88, remains 'guarded' - Pope in hospital since February 14 By Crispian Balmer and Joshua McElwee Francis is spending his 14th night in Rome's Gemelli hospital with the severe respiratory infection, which triggered various complications. "The clinical condition of the Holy Father continued to show improvement today," the latest [detailed](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N3PG0RZ&linkedFromStory=true) update read. The doctors, it said, have still given the pope a "guarded" prognosis because of the "complexity of the clinical picture", meaning they do not think he is out of danger yet. However, a Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to discuss the pope's health, noted that Thursday's statement was the second running that did not describe the pope's condition as 'critical'. "Maybe we can say he has passed the most critical phase," said the official. Thursday's update is the third consecutive positive readout about the pope's health as he fights an infection his doctors say is polymicrobial, meaning it is caused by two or more micro-organisms. The new statement said the pope was still receiving oxygen, including via a ventimask, or a light plastic mask that fits over the mouth and nose. The Vatican official said the mask allowed for a more comfortable flow of oxygen as compared to the nasal tube the pope had previously been using. Use of the mask did not indicate any new difficulty in the pope's breathing, said the official. Francis, known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued leading the Vatican from hospital, as staff appointments requiring his approval are announced daily. On Wednesday, it said he had created a commission to encourage donations to help address [a widening gap in finances](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3P21R4&linkedFromStory=true), including an 83-million-euro ($87 million) budget shortfall. The Vatican has been much more forthcoming about the pope's health than in the past, trying to [pre-empt the spread of misinformation](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N3PG0RZ&linkedFromStory=true). Brief early-morning statements are followed daily by more detailed evening updates. The Vatican said a public audience on Saturday had been cancelled, but did not say whether he would lead his usual weekly prayer with pilgrims on Sunday. Francis has not been seen in public since being admitted to hospital. On Wednesday, the Vatican said for the first time that he was receiving respiratory physiotherapy, normally aimed at improving lung function, clearing secretions and making breathing more efficient. Francis has suffered several bouts of ill health [over the past two years](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N37Z29G&linkedFromStory=true). He is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed. [Double pneumonia](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N3PA0A7&linkedFromStory=true) is a serious infection of both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican said Francis suffered a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" on Saturday, but there have been no repeats. Hundreds of people have assembled in St Peter's Square over the past three evenings for prayer vigils, while well-wishers have also gathered outside the hospital. "At this moment, I think I feel confident. I am happy with the news that I'm getting from Vatican News, that he is getting better," said one of those, Sister Theodosia Baki from Cameroon. ($1 = 0.9544 euros) (Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Joshua McElwee; Additional reporting by Claudia Checca; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Crispian Balmer)