Pope Francis didn’t need mechanical ventilation on Sunday after respiratory crisis, Vatican says

Pope Francis remains stable, improving from double pneumonia, receiving prayers and support from well-wishers worldwide.

Pope Francis remained in stable condition and didn’t need any mechanical ventilation on Sunday (March 2, 2025), the Vatican said. It was a sign that his respiratory function was improving as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia and a respiratory crisis.

The 88-year-old pope did continue to receive high flow supplemental oxygen after Friday’s (February 28, 2025) coughing episode, which sparked fears of a new infection. Doctors again said his prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger.

Pope Francis, who earlier Sunday (March 2, 2025) had a visit from the Vatican No. 2 and No. 3 officials, also attended Mass, rested and prayed, the Vatican said in its evening bulletin.

Pope Francis continued his recovery from double pneumonia, but again skipped his weekly noon blessing to avoid even a brief public appearance from the hospital.

Instead, the Vatican distributed a message from the Pope in which he thanked his doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, and prayed again for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.

“From here, war appears even more absurd,” Pope Francis said in the message, which he drafted in recent days from the Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said. Pope Francis said he was living his hospitalization as an experience of profound solidarity with people who are sick and suffering everywhere.

“I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord,” Pope Francis said in the text. “At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.”