Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs, with tests raising concerns about the ability of the 88-year-old pontiff to fight off the infection.
The Vatican said his respiratory illness also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which requires the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment. “Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” it said.
But the Pope, who had the upper lobe of his right lung removed as a young man, is in good spirits, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni added.
The pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a “fair” condition on Friday after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. On Monday, medical personnel determined he was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning a mix of viruses, bacteria and possibly other organisms had infected his respiratory tract.
“The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent ... demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy,” Mr Bruni said.
Bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, which is a deeper and more serious infection of the air sacs in the lungs. Pneumonia can develop in part of one lung or an entire lung, or both lungs. It tends to be more serious when both lungs are affected because there is no healthy lung tissue to compensate.
Treatment varies by severity but can include providing oxygen through a nasal tube or mask, intravenous fluids, and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection. To date Pope Francis is not known to be using supplemental oxygen, and he has eaten breakfast every day, read the newspapers and done some work from his hospital room.
The Vatican has not provided any information about how the pontiff is responding to any of the drugs he has been given other than to say he is not running a fever.
The Vatican has given no indication of how long the Pope might remain in hospital, only saying that the treatment of such a “complex clinical picture”, which has already required several changes in his drug regimen, would require an “adequate” stay.
In a sign that Vatican business was proceeding as usual on Tuesday, the Vatican No 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, continued a delicate visit to Burkina Faso and another top Vatican cardinal, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prepared to leave on Wednesday for a five-day visit to Lebanon.
But other business had to be cancelled. There will be no weekly general audience with the Pope on Wednesday, and it was not clear if Francis will miss his Sunday noon blessing for a second week in a row. His admission to hospital has also forced the cancellation of some events surrounding the Vatican Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century ceremony in which millions of pilgrims flock to Rome.
This Holy Year weekend was dedicated to deacons, the ministry that is a necessary step for men who are preparing to become priests. Pope Francis had an unrelated audience on Saturday and was supposed to have ordained the deacons during a Mass on Sunday. The Vatican on Tuesday announced his audience was cancelled.
The surgery Francis underwent as a young man makes him prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter. He has admitted in the past that he is a non-compliant patient, and even his close Vatican aides have said he pushed himself too far even once his bronchitis was diagnosed.