Pope Francis remains in stable condition in hospital with pneumonia

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Pope Francis on Wednesday remained in stable condition as he battles pneumonia, the Vatican said.

"The Holy Father's clinical condition is stationary," the Vatican said in an update Wednesday night about the 88-year-old pontiff. "The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory indices."

After a "restful night" -- his fifth in Gemelli Hospital in Rome -- he had breakfast. France was able to get out of bed and sat in an armchair.

Before lunch he received the Eucharist, a Christian sacrament that involves sharing bread and wine to remember Jesus' death and resurrection.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni privately visited him for 20 minutes in the afternoon, the Vatican said.

"I was very glad to find him alert and responsive," Meloni said in a statement issued by him. "We joked around as always. He hasn't lost his proverbial sense of humor."

On Tuesday, Vatican officials said the pope developed pneumonia in both lungs as he remained hospitalized in Rome, calling the condition "complex."

Francis suffered bronchitis symptoms last week and delegated speeches to officials before he was admitted to the hospital on Friday.

"Nevertheless, Pope Francis remains in good spirits," the Vatican said Tuesday.

The pope is susceptible to lung infections after he developed pleurisy as an adult and had part of a lung removed at age 21. In addition, Francis has been hospitalized for bronchitis multiple times, and in 2023 underwent abdominal surgery and received treatment for pneumonia earlier that year.

On Monday, doctors listed him in stable condition as he received treatment for a polymicrobial respiratory infection.

The Vatican stated earlier this week that medical staff prescribed "absolute bed rest" while the aging religious leader was being treated in Rome.

The pontiff watched Sunday's Holy Mass from St. Peter's Basilica on television.

The Jubilee Audience for Artists and the World of Culture was canceled Saturday, along with a meeting with artists on Monday.