By Christopher Lamb, Antonia Mortensen and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN
(CNN) — Pope Francis’ condition is “slightly improving” and he continues to have no fever, the Vatican said on Thursday evening, adding that he carried out work activities after receiving Eucharist this morning.
A spokesperson for the Vatican said Thursday that the pope’s slight improvement in condition indicates that he is reacting positively to his treatment, adding that his heart is holding up well.
He is breathing on his own but receiving oxygen, the spokesperson added.
Francis has been hospitalized since last week after being plagued by a string of lung-related medical struggles.
He had a CT scan and was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs on Tuesday, following an earlier diagnosis of “polymicrobial infection” of respiratory tract. The Vatican said at the time that the medical tests continued to indicate “a complex picture” for one of the oldest popes in the church’s history.
On Wednesday, the Vatican described Francis’ clinical condition as “stable” and said his blood tests showed “a slight improvement, in particular of the inflammatory markers.”
Francis got up and ate breakfast in an armchair on Thursday, the Vatican said. The update was similar to what was said on Wednesday, when the Vatican announced the pope had breakfast, read newspapers, “devoted himself to work activities with his closest collaborators” and received the Eucharist before lunch.
A source said on Thursday that the pope was accompanied by his “closest collaborators” at the hospital.
He was previously visited by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a statement following her visit on Wednesday, Meloni said she found Francis “alert and reactive.” “We joked as always. He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humor.”
‘Complex clinical picture’
The Vatican on Tuesday said despite the onset of pneumonia in both of his lungs, “Pope Francis is in good spirits.”
Prior to the pneumonia diagnosis, worshipers outside the Vatican expressed concern over the pope’s condition and wished him a steady recovery. “We certainly wish for him to get better very quickly,” Rev. Tyler Carter, a US priest, told Reuters. “He is our father and our shepherd, and so we want his continued health and blessing.”
In Francis’ home country of Argentina, the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires announced a mass for the Pope’s health to be held at one of the city’s main squares on Monday.
The Vatican said the pope’s treatment has changed throughout his stay in the hospital, as his diagnosis evolved.
“The results of the tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract that has led to a further change in therapy,” the Vatican said in the Monday statement.
“All the tests carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require adequate hospitalization.”
“He gives thanks for the closeness he feels at this moment and asks, with a grateful heart, that we continue to pray for him,” the statement said.
Polymicrobial infections are acute and chronic diseases that can be caused by a combination of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, according to the US National Insititutes of Health.
‘He is more tired’
Francis tried to complete routine obligations on the first two days of hospitalization, according to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni.
On Friday and Saturday, the pope spoke on the phone to Rev. Gabriel Romanelli and his assistant, Father Yusuf Asad, in Gaza City, northern Gaza – who have been in frequent communication since Israel launched its war following the October 7 attacks.
After more than 15 months of “massacres, violence, fear, and hunger” in the Palestinian enclave, the pontiff called his colleagues “to check in,” Vatican News reported on Monday.
“We heard his voice. It is true, he is more tired,” reflected Romanelli. “He himself said, ‘I have to take care of myself.’ But you could hear the clear voice, he listened to us well.”
He did not lead the weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday – only the second time that this has happened in his almost 12-year-long papacy.
The pope was checked into a hospital in Rome last week for “diagnostic tests” relating to a respiratory tract infection, the Vatican added. They later confirmed he was in Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in the Italian capital.All his public events will be canceled until Saturday, Bruni said.
Doctors had prescribed “complete rest” for the pope, who had engaged in an intense round of meetings and public events until his hospitalization.
When he was younger, the Argentine leader endured severe pneumonia and had part of one lung removed. More recently, he suffered two falls in recent months and has been seen using a wheelchair to help alleviate his restricted mobility.
Francis also has diverticulitis, a common condition that can cause the inflammation or infection of the colon. In 2021, he had surgery to remove part of his colon.
“We hope that the recovery will happen soon, and that he can return to St. Peter’s to continue his mission and work,” added Romanelli, the priest in Gaza City.
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