Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, Vatican says

Pope Francis has contracted double pneumonia, further complicating treatment for the 88-year pontiff, the Vatican has said.

The Vatican on Tuesday said Francis’s respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which requires the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment.

Francis has been receiving treatment for a respiratory condition for more than a week, and he was taken to Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, on February 14.

“Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture”, the Vatican said in a statement.

The Holy Father received a chest CAT scan this afternoon, which revealed bilateral pneumonia that required additional pharmacological treatment, the statement continued.

The pope, however, is in “good spirits”, the statement said.

The pontiff was breathing on his own, according to a Vatican official who spoke on background earlier in the day.

Additionally, the Vatican announced that all pope-related public events had been postponed through Sunday.

The pope had been scheduled to lead a number of activities over the weekend for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, a Catholic holiday season that continues through January.

The Vatican claimed on Monday that in order to address a “complex clinical situation,” doctors had to re-evaluate the pope’s medication during his hospital stay.

They referred to it as a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract.”

Francis will remain in a hospital for as long as is necessary, according to the Vatican.