Pope Francis not at risk of death, but he's 'not out of danger' - doctors treating him give update

Pope Francis is "not out of danger" and will remain in hospital for at least one more week, doctors treating him have said.

However, in their first in-person update a week after the pontiff was taken to hospital, medics have also said he was not at risk of death.

Sergio Alfieri, the chief of the pontiff's medical team, said: "Is he out of danger? No. But if the question is 'is he in danger of death', the answer is 'no'."

The 88-year-old pontiff is being treated for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Francis was affected by seasonal flu before being taken to hospital on 14 February, Dr Alfieri said, adding that "due to his challenging duties", the pontiff had suffered fatigue.

He then said that Pope Francis was a "fragile patient" but was in "good spirits" and joking with medical staff.

As part of his treatment, the Pope is receiving occasional supplements of oxygen. The doctors added he is responding to strengthened drug therapy for pneumonia.

The doctors also warned that while he did not have sepsis - where germs enter the bloodstream - there was always a risk the infection could spread in his body. They added that was the biggest concern.

Sepsis is a complication of an infection that can lead to organ failure and death.

Dr Luigi Carbone, the pontiff's personal doctor, said Francis was responding to the drug therapy that was "strengthened" after the pneumonia was diagnosed earlier this week.

He is also fighting a multipronged infection of bacteria and viruses in the respiratory tract.

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Millions of people around the world have been concerned about the Pope's increasingly frail health - and his condition has given rise to speculation over a possible resignation.

In a brief update on his health earlier on Friday, the Vatican said Francis had had a good night, had got up and eaten breakfast.

On Thursday, the Vatican said the Pope's overall condition was "improving slightly" and his heart is working well.

Pope Francis has a history of respiratory illness, having lost part of one of his lungs to pleurisy as a young man. He had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023.

(c) Sky News 2025: Pope Francis not at risk of death, but he's 'not out of danger' - doctors treating him give update