Pope Francis has been receiving treatment for almost three weeks for bilateral pneumonia in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The Vatican’s Holy See Press Office has been updating the public daily on his health status, which based on updates is improving but still being closely “guarded.”
As of March 5, which falls on Ash Wednesday this year, the Vatican said the Pope was stable, experiencing no new health crisis, but still recovering. While in the hospital, the Pope expressed sympathy for various war and disaster victims through the Vatican’s press office, which reported that he called the priest at Gaza’s Holy Family Church Wednesday morning.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 88, now Pope Francis, is Argentinian and the first pope from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He has not been seen in public since he entered the hospital Feb. 14, which Reuters reported is the longest he’s been out of view since his papacy started in 2013.
Below is a timeline of the Pope’s nearly three-week long hospital stay.
Boston’s Catholic Community
Boston is home to countless Catholic churches including Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the largest Roman Catholic church in New England that is located in the South End and seats almost 2,000 people. The church has a diverse congregation of people worshipping English, Spanish, German, Ge’ez, and Tridentine forms of Catholicism.
Inside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross March 5, as people received ashes and a blessing for Ash Wednesday, stacks of The Pilot, the oldest Catholic newspaper in the nation, sat on side tables as people entered the church. The headline read “Pray for the Holy Father.”
Massachusetts has long been one of the most Catholic states in the nation, with populations of predominantly Catholic nationalities immigrating to the state for the last 200 years, including, Irish, Caribbeans, Italians, Germans, and more. On Sunday, March 2, Catholics across Boston joined millions across the world to pray for the Pope during Mass.
Updated data from the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study from 2024 found that 52% of adults in Massachusetts identify as Christian, with 29% of those people identifying as Catholic. This has decreased from 34% since 2014.
Feb. 14
The Pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Valentine’s Day to receive treatment for bronchitis, the Press Office said. They also said his schedule was cleared until at least Feb. 17.
Feb 18: Pope diagnosed with double pneumonia
The Catholic News Agency reported that Pope Francis had “bilateral pneumonia.”
“Laboratory tests, [a] chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” a statement from the Holy See Press Office to the CNA said.
The Pope also underwent a CT scan and the results showed he required “additional drug therapy.”
Feb. 19: Italian Prime Minister Visits Francis in hospital
The Associated Press reported that Italian PM Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis for 20 minutes in which she called him “alert and responsive.” The AP also reported his condition remained stable and that he had seen a possible slight improvement in tests.
“Her visit…appeared aimed at sending a reassuring message, especially to Italians who haven’t seen even a photograph of Francis since Friday,” the AP report said.
Feb 21: Doctors say Francis is “fragile and not out of danger.”
During a press conference with journalists at Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis’ doctors said he must remain in the hospital for more treatment for at least another week, the CNA reported.
Feb 24: President Trump wishes Pope Francis well
“We wish him well…it’s a very serious situation,” Trump told an EWTN News correspondent who asked both him and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Feb. 27: Vatican says Pope’s health is “improving.”
The Vatican updated the public Thursday to say Pope Francis was doing better but needed more time in the hospital to monitor his stability.
Feb 28: Condition remains “reserved” after Pope has bronchospasm
The CNA reported that Pope Francis suffered “an isolated crisis of bronchospasm” which “resulted in an episode of vomiting with inhalation and sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.”
Despite the flare up and the treatments, the CNA said he “remained alert and oriented at all times.”
March 2: Pope Francis posts gratitude message on X
Pope Francis took to his X account, @pontifex, to thank people for their thoughts and prayers.
“I would like to thank you for your prayers, which rise up to the Lord from the hearts of so many faithful from many parts of the world,” the Pope wrote. “I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people.”
March 3: Pope undergoes two bronchoscopies
The Vatican said in another statement that the Pope underwent two bronchoscopies, when a doctor uses a device to examine the lungs and airways, after he had “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency.”
The Vatican reported that he was alert and oriented the whole time.
March 4: Pope is “stable” with no flare ups Tuesday
The Pope’s health was stable and he continued treatment, said the Vatican. As part of his care, the noninvasive mechanical ventilation would resume overnight and continue into Wednesday morning.
March 5: Pope sleeps well into Ash Wednesday, Cardinal gives his homily
The Pope was set to deliver an Ash Wednesday address at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Sabina, but still in the hospital, his speech was read by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis.
According to the Vatican, Cardinal De Donatis spoke off the cuff before giving the homily.
“We feel deeply united with him in this moment, and we thank him for the offering of his prayer and his sufferings for the good of the entire Church and the whole world,” he said inside the Basilica.
