Pope Francis tries to work after spending "a quiet night" in hospital

Pope Francis, hospitalized since last week for pneumonia in both lungs, spent a "quiet night" and was able to get up and attempt some work, the Holy See said Thursday, a day after reporting a slight improvement in his health condition.

"The night was quiet, the pope got up and had breakfast in an armchair," the Vatican said in a brief morning statement.

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital for bronchitis last Friday but, on Tuesday, the Holy See announced he was suffering from bilateral pneumonia.

Vatican sources said, however, that despite his illness the pope is still keeping informed and trying to work, reading and signing documents, writing and speaking with his collaborators.

On Wednesday, the Holy See indicated that "blood tests, examined by medical personnel, show a slight improvement, in particular indicators" of inflammation.

The announcement that the pope is suffering from pneumonia -- a potentially life-threatening infection of lung tissue -- rekindled concern about the Catholic Church leader's health. The diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the Argentine Jesuit had his right lung lobe removed when he was a young man.

Concern about the pope's health was on the rise following the spread of false information on social media, especially on X, reporting the pope's death in several languages.

His closest aides and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited him on Wednesday.

According to the leader, who was with him for about twenty minutes, the pope was "alert and receptive." Meloni affirmed that he even "joked" with her. "He has not lost his famous sense of humor," the far-right leader assured.

"Difficult situation"

A Vatican source indicated Wednesday that the pope could get up and sit in an armchair. He is breathing without mechanical assistance, but it is not ruled out that he will use it, at times.

The pope canceled his scheduled engagements this week, including an audience Saturday and Mass Sunday at St. Peter's Basilica.

But it is not yet known whether he will deliver the Angelus at noon after Sunday's Mass, which will be officiated by a cardinal.

"We still don't know how it will be done," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Thursday.

However, for the pope, this illness represents "an undoubtedly difficult situation," Andrea Ungar, a professor of geriatrics at the University of Florence, told AFP.

The infection "passed from one lung to the other through the bronchi and can cause respiratory failure," explained the expert, who stressed the importance of the pope remaining "active."

Calls to prayer

In front of the Gemelli hospital, crowds of faithful have come to light candles with Francis' face, as a sign of support, and the Church invited all Catholics around the world to pray for the pope's health.

In St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Suzanna Munteanu, a Romanian tourist, told AFP Thursday that she is worried about Francis but "confident" he will pull through.

"I love this pope. For me he is very dear, especially because he cares about poor people, and I hope he recovers very soon," she said.

Despite repeated health problems in recent years, including hip, knee pains that force him to go in a wheelchair, operations or respiratory infections, Jorge Bergoglio has maintained a busy schedule and declared he has no intention of slowing down. His doctors insist that he would have to slow down his activities a bit.

Francis' hospitalization, his fourth in less than four years, has reignited the debate over his health, especially as his admission comes at the beginning of the Catholic Church's Jubilee year, which entails a long list of events, many of them presided over by the pope.

Before his admission Friday, he was seen in several weakened public appearances, his face swollen, his voice cracking, and he had delegated to his assistants more than once to read his speeches. In 2023, he was hospitalized for three days with bronchitis.