Pope Francis spent another 'peaceful' night in the hospital and health condition improving, Vatican announces

Pope Francis, hospitalized at the age of 88 for pneumonia, had a "peaceful" night, the Vatican announced Friday, the 15th day since his admission to Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

"As in the previous days, the night passed peacefully and the pope is now resting," the Holy See wrote in a brief statement, hours after confirming that his health condition was "improving."

The spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 for bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia.

Alarms went off last weekend when his health deteriorated and, on Tuesday night, the Vatican explained that his condition was "critical but stable."

Although his condition remains serious, medical reports in recent days point to a progression of improvement, especially with the announcement of the remission of mild kidney failure.

On Thursday night, the latest medical report reported that his health was continuing to improve, but that "given the complexity of the clinical picture, more days of stability are required" before modifying his status.

Jorge Bergoglio was also able to resume his work from the hospital at the beginning of the week, although he has not made any public appearances, as the faithful around the world continue to pray for his speedy recovery.

This hospitalization, his fourth and longest since 2021, is a cause for great concern because of previous problems that have weakened the Argentine Jesuit's health in recent years. It has rekindled speculation about his eventual resignation.