Pope critical but 'in good humour' in hospital

Pope Francis is resting, but remains "critical" with respiratory and kidney problems, more than a week after being admitted to hospital, the Vatican has said.

"The night went well, the Pope slept and is resting," a Monday morning statement said.

Vatican sources said the Pope was in good humour and eating normally - a slightly more upbeat message than they'd been giving over the weekend, following his sudden breathing difficulties on Saturday.

The Pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on 14 February after experiencing breathing difficulties for several days, where he was first treated for bronchitis before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

On Sunday, the Pope's thrombocytopenia - a condition that occurs when the platelet count in the blood is too low - was stable, a statement said.

The Vatican did not offer a prognosis, given the "complexity of the clinical picture".

On Saturday, the Vatican said that the Pope had experienced a respiratory crisis and was in a "critical" condition, but later on Sunday released an update that he had "not presented any further respiratory crises".

Earlier on Sunday, the Pope issued a statement asking Catholics to pray for him after he was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person for the second week running.

And at 21:00 (20:00 GMT) on Monday, those cardinals who are in Rome will gather outside St Peter's Basilica to lead prayers for the Pope, together with members of the Vatican curia and clergy from the Diocese of Rome.

They will continue to gather each evening, from now on, to recite the Rosary.

Monday evening's prayer will be led by Cardinal Parolin, who is Vatican's secretary of state.

The pontiff is particularly susceptible to pneumonia, an infection of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, after he contracted pleurisy - an inflammation of the lungs - as a young man and underwent a partial lung removal.

The leader of the Roman Catholic church has been admitted to hospital multiple times during his 12-year tenure, including being treated for bronchitis at the same hospital in March 2023.

From Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American, and first Jesuit, to lead the Roman Catholic Church.