The Vatican has said that Pope Francis’ health has shown a “slight improvement” on his sixth day in hospital.
Aged 88, Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital last week with a respiratory infection. He has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, the BBC reports.
According to the report, on Wednesday, Pope Francis was visited by Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who said she was “very happy to have found him alert and responsive. We joked as always. He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humour.”
The Prime Minister offered the pontiff best wishes for a speedy recovery, on behalf of the Italian government and the whole country.
“The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in inflammatory indices,” said the Vatican in a statement yesterday.
Earlier in the week, the Vatican said medical tests and a chest X-ray showed “a complex picture.”
Pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar the lungs, causing chest pain and making breathing more difficult.
The Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff’s fragile health that he was alert and ate breakfast.
