Pope responding to treatment but not yet out of danger – Doctors

Members of Pope Francis’ medical team at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, on Friday disclosed that the Pope is responding to treatment, but he is not out of danger.

The doctors disclosed that the Pope will be in hospital at least another week – but noted that he is joking as much as usual, and has even begun working again.

Pope Francis is not “in danger of death”, but he’s also not fully “out of danger”, members of his medical team have said at a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

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Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, and Luigi Carbone, the vice-director of the Vatican’s healthcare service, gave the update on Friday evening.

According to the doctors, the Pope would be hospitalised for “at least” the entirety of next week.

Alfieri emphasised that the Pope is not attached to a ventilator, although he is still struggling with his breathing and consequently keeping his physical movements limited.

However, the doctors disclosed that the Pope is sitting upright in a chair, working, and joking as usual.

Alfieri said that when one of the doctors greeted the Pope by saying “Hello, Holy Father”, Francis replied “Hello, Holy Son”.

The doctors told journalists that there is a risk that germs in the Pope’s respiratory tract might enter his bloodstream, causing sepsis.

Alfieri did say, however, that he was confident that Pope Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican – with the proviso that when he does so, his chronic respiratory issues will remain.