Pope Has Signs of Mild Kidney Failure, Remains in Critical Condition: Vatican

Candles near pictures of Pope Francis outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Feb. 23, 2025, where the pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14. Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo

Pope Francis is conscious but showing signs of mild kidney failure, and he remains in critical condition with a complex lung infection after suffering a respiratory crisis, the Vatican said on Feb. 23.

Some of the pope’s blood tests show “an initial, mild, renal failure, which is currently under control,” the Vatican said on Feb. 23. He continues to be “vigilant and well oriented.”

The pope, 88, was hospitalized at the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli in Rome on Feb. 14 after experiencing bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis that soon led to a polymicrobial infection. He reportedly struggled to speak at one of his meetings earlier the same day.

On Feb. 18, the Vatican said the pope had contracted pneumonia in both lungs, adding that “the laboratory examinations, thoracic x-ray, and clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture.”

By Feb. 22, the Vatican said the pontiff “is not out of danger” as he remains in critical condition, requiring “the administration of high-flow oxygen.”

As a young man, the pope had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection, and he often experiences bouts of bronchitis in the winter.

In an earlier statement on Feb. 23, the Vatican did not mention whether the pope was out of bed or eating breakfast but said, “The night passed quietly, the pope rested.”

However, the Vatican noted that he is conscious and continues to receive supplemental oxygen and further clinical tests.

The Vatican said he has received “high flows” of oxygen to assist in breathing through a nasal tube and was given blood transfusions after tests indicated low platelet counts, which are necessary for clotting.

In its Feb. 22 statement, the Vatican mentioned that the pontiff “continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more discomfort than yesterday.” According to doctors, his prognosis is “reserved,” which means they are uncertain about the likely outcome of his condition.

The uncertainty is because of his age, fragility, and preexisting lung disease, leading to speculation over what would happen if he became unconscious or incapacitated.

As part of the Vatican’s year-long Holy Year commemoration, the pope was scheduled to celebrate Mass on the morning of Feb. 23 in St. Peter’s Basilica while ordaining deacons. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the organizer of the Holy Year, celebrated Mass in his place and delivered a special prayer for the pope from the altar before giving the homily he had prepared.

“Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis close to us, we feel him present among us,” Fisichella told the hundreds of white-robed deacons. “And this compels us to make even stronger and more intense our prayer that the Lord will assist him in his time of trial and illness.”

The pope took part in the Mass from an apartment set up on the 10th floor of Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said in its statement.

Ryan Morgan, T.J. Muscaro, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.