Zürcher Nachrichten - Critically-ill pope 'not in pain': Vatican source

The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with breathing difficulties and his condition has since worsened.

But the Vatican's morning bulletin said: "The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting".

Francis "woke up and is continuing his treatment", a Vatican source said.

He "can get out of bed", "is not in pain", was eating "normally" and was even "in a good mood", the source said.

The longest hospitalisation of Francis's near 12-year papacy has brought an outpouring of support for the Jesuit, with prayers said around the world and tributes left outside the hospital.

His initial bronchitis developed into double pneumonia and on Saturday the Vatican warned for the first time that the pope's condition was critical.

On Sunday it said Francis continues to receive "high-flow" oxygen through a nasal cannula, and blood tests demonstrated an "initial, mild, renal failure, currently under control".

Francis is alert but "the complexity of the clinical picture, and the need to wait for the pharmacological treatments to have some effect, mean that the prognosis remains reserved," it concluded.

Cardinals in Rome and members of the public were expected for a prayer for the pope in St Peter's Square Monday evening led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.

- 'Hope against hope' -

Gemelli's chaplain, Nunzio Corrao, led a special prayer on Monday, saying it was time to "hope against hope" for Francis's recovery.

Well-wishers left candles outside the hospital, where Francis is in a 10th-floor papal suite.

Abele Donati, head of the anaesthesia and intensive care unit at the Marche University Hospital, told the Corriere della Sera daily that renal failure "could signal the presence of sepsis in the early stages".

"It is the body's response to an ongoing infection, in this case of the two lungs," he said.

Professor Sergio Alfieri, who leads the Gemelli medical team, warned on Friday that "the real risk in these cases is that the germs pass into the blood", which could result in sepsis, a life-threatening condition.

Francis's hospitalisation has sparked fears over his recovery.

"At this moment in history, one feels the need for his figure," Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close to Francis, told the Repubblica daily.

There were "many people around the world, including those in positions of responsibility, who are genuinely concerned because they know that Francis is one of the few who is able to connect the dots in a world that seems to be split", he said.

- 'Open heart' -

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg said Catholics and non-Catholics alike love Francis because "he welcomes everyone, without distinction, with an open heart".

"He has returned the Church to its most authentic nature... A close Church which consoles, listens and accompanies," he said.

The condition of the pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has fuelled speculation about whether he might resign.

He has always been open to following his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to step down because of his physical and mental health.

But Francis has repeatedly said it was not the time.

Theologian Spadaro agreed that a resignation should not be discussed now.

"The pope is vigilant, he is exercising his pastoral duty even from his hospital bed, and -- although in a different, less visible manner -- he manifests his presence," he said.

German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller told the Corriere della Sera "the pope is alive and this is the moment to pray, not think about his successor".

But had added: "We all must die. There is no eternal earthly life. The pope has a special task, but he is a man like all men".

F.E.Ackermann--NZN