Pope Francis diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, says Vatican

The Vatican says Pope Francis has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Vatican said a chest CT scan carried out on the Pope showed that his condition presents a “complex picture”.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who was hospitalised at Rome’s Gemelli on Friday after he presented symptoms of respiratory infection, had designated officials to deliver prepared speeches at events on his behalf.

Despite the Pope’s recent diagnosis, the Vatican said he remained in “good spirits”.

“The control chest CT scan that the Holy Father underwent this afternoon demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy,” the statement reads.

On Monday, the Vatican said the doctors had changed the Pope’s drug therapy for the second time after what was thought to be a “polymicrobial infection” of his respiratory tract—acute diseases caused by a virus, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.

“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 had said in a statement on Monday.

“All the tests carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require adequate hospitalization.”

The Pope is particularly susceptible to lung infections due to his development of pleurisy—an acute inflammation of the tissues that line the lungs and chest cavity—in adulthood and undergoing the removal of part of one of his lungs at the age of 21.

All public events on his calendar have been cancelled through to Sunday, as he had been due to lead several events over the weekend for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which runs through January 2026.

Pope Francis, during his 12 years as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has been hospitalised several times, including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in the hospital with bronchitis.