Pope Francis's health condition continues to improve - Vatican

Pope Francis's health condition has continued to improve, the latest communication from the Vatican's Holy See press office has said.

In the latest update on his health, the Vatican said the Pope slept well overnight and is still resting.

“Pope Francis slept well overnight and continues to rest on Thursday morning, as his condition has shown a slight improvement over the past couple of days,” they said.

The Vatican added that the Pope remained on high-flow oxygen therapy, but as of Wednesday evening, he had not experienced any asthma-like respiratory crises.

“The mild kidney insufficiency observed in recent days has subsided,” read a statement.

“A chest CT scan carried out on Tuesday night showed a normal progression of the lung inflammation. Blood tests conducted on Wednesday confirmed the improvement seen from Tuesday.”  

According to the Holy See Press Office, his prognosis remains “guarded.”

The Pope has been in hospital for about two weeks now since he was diagnosed with bronchitis before his doctor later found that he also had bilateral pneumonia.

He was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy where he has been receiving treatment.

The Holy See Press Office highlighted that as of Tuesday evening, the Pope's clinical condition "remains critical but stable," noting he has not had any further acute respiratory crises.

Over the weekend, the Vatican said the Holy Father had suffered a respiratory crisis and required a blood transfusion, with the Holy See on Sunday evening stating that Pope Francis’ condition was “critical.”

On Saturday, dozens of Catholics gathered in front of Gemelli Hospital in Rome to pray the rosary for the health of the Holy Father.

Local Catholics and jubilee pilgrims in Rome had earlier prayed for Pope Francis’ recovery, with visitors from France and Poland offering prayers while visiting the Eternal City.