The Pope's funeral is reportedly rehearsed after the 88-year-old warned that he might not survive pneumonia.
The Swiss guard who protects the Pope, 88, rehearses his funeral, with members under a curfew while they 'prepare for the death of the Pontiff', the Swiss newspaper Blick claims.
This is after Pope Francis was brought to the Gemelli hospital of Rome on Friday with considerable chest pain, because they oppose calling to leave the Vatican for days.
Doctors made him the diagnosis of a 'complex' airway infection and forbidden him to participate in various commitments, whereby the Vatican canceled or re -planned his papal audience this week.
The Vatican confirmed the pneumonia on Tuesday and said that Francis airway infection also includes asthmatic bronchitis, which requires the use of cortisone antibiotics treatment.
The Pope's funeral would be reportedly rehearsed while the Swiss guard is preparing for the death of the Pontiff after the 88-year-old warned that he may not survive pneumonia (the Pope is depicted in 2016)
Pope Francis drinks a mass for the jubilee of the armed forces on St. Peter's Plein in the Vatican
People stand in front of a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is admitted to the hospital for tests and treatment for bronchitis in Rome, on February 19, 2025
“Laboratory tests, X -rays of the chest and the clinical state of the Holy Father continue to give a complex picture,” said the Vatican.
The infection is of particular importance because the pope had removed part of his lung many years ago.
The Italian cardinal Angelo Comastri, 81, told Omroep Rai about the state of the Pope: 'Francis is very calm. His rudder is in the hands of the Lord. '
Now two people in the vicinity of the Pontiff have claimed that Francis told them that he “might not save this time,” according to a report from Politico.
Perhaps aware of his limited time, the Pope has moved in recent weeks to “bind loose ends” and to ensure that his legacy is continued in a politically sensitive time for the Catholic Church.
People are now reportedly traveled to the Gemelli hospital in West -Rome, where Pope Francis is treated to pray for him.
Pope Franciscus gestures during the Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, on February 1, 2025
On Monday, medical staff found that he suffered from a polymicrobial airways infection, which means a mix of viruses, bacteria and possibly other organisms were colonized in his airway channel and led to double pneumonia.
Treatment varies per severity, but may include the supply of oxygen through a nose tube or mask, intravenous liquids – and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection.
To date, it is not known that Francis uses additional oxygen, and he has eaten breakfast every day, read the newspapers and did some work from his hospital room.
The Vatican has not provided any information about how Francis responds to one of the medicines he received except to say that he has no fever.
Dr. Carmelo d'Asero, an infectious disease and the expert of geriatric disorders in Rome, said that the lack of fever of Francis was not necessarily a positive matter, given the severity of his infection.
“High fever is a sign of an immune response on a pathogen,” he said. 'Having a low fever and having a serious bronchial infection … is a sign of a reduced immune response and that makes us a little more worried, let's say.
“Maybe if he had a fever, it would have been better.”
The Vatican has not given an indication of how long the pope can stay in the hospital, and only said that the treatment of such a 'complex clinical picture', which already needs various changes in its drug regime, would need a 'sufficient' stay .
