As the hospitalisation of Pope Francis enters the sixth day, Catholics around the world have intensified calls for prayers for the recovery of the pontiff.
Calls for prayers for the pontiff were made in Italy, Argentina, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the United States, among other countries, while well-wishers remained gathered around the Rome hospital with candles, praying for the Pope to return to good health.
Outside the hospital on Wednesday, people were leaving flowers and small personal notes under a famous statue of John Paul II, wishing a speedy recovery for Francis.
Victoria Darmody, a tourist from England, said she came to the hospital just to be near the pope.
“We were hoping to go to the papal audience today but felt this was the right place to be instead,” she said.
Pope Francis was last Friday admitted to the Gemelli Hospital, Rome, due to worsening bronchitis, with the first diagnostic tests showing that he had a respiratory tract infection.
Francis, 88 years old, reported having breathing difficulties during his meetings on Friday before being taken to hospital.
Giving an update on the Pope’s state, the Holy See Press Office, in a Tuesday press release stated that the pontiff had double pneumonia but “remains in good spirits.”
“Laboratory tests, chest X-rays, and the clinical condition of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture,” the statement read.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.
The statement added that the Pope’s polymicrobial infection, which has arisen in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and has required the use of corticosteroids and antibiotics, makes the treatment more complex.
“A follow-up chest CT scan, to which the Holy Father was subjected this afternoon—prescribed by the Vatican medical team and the medical staff of the A. Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation—revealed the onset of bilateral pneumonia, requiring additional pharmacological therapy,” the statement read.
Justifying that the pontiff remained in good spirits, the statement added that the Pope had “received the Eucharist and, throughout the day, alternated between rest, prayer, and reading.”
The Pope was quoted as expressing his gratitude for the support received while asking that prayers for him continue.
A follow-up statement from the Holy See Press office, on Wednesday, read, “The Pope spent a restful night, woke up and had breakfast.”
It said the Pope got out of bed and sat in an armchair.
On Wednesday, Italy’s bishops called on the faithful of the country to pray for the 88-year-old Pope diagnosed with pneumonia.
As we entrust the work of doctors and medical staff to the Lord, we embrace the Holy Father with affection,” the bishops wrote in a statement.
In Pope Francis’ homeland of Argentina, prayers have been on since last Friday when the Pope was hospitalized.
The Patriarch of Venice, Francesco Moraglia urged the faithful of his diocese, in a separate letter, to pray for the Pope “at every opportunity.”
President, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David and other leaders of the Catholic Church in the Philippines urged the public to pray for the healing and recovery of Pope Francis.
“May I ask for your prayers for his healing and recovery during this challenging time,” David said.
Manila Archbishop, Cardinal Jose Advincula issued an “appeal for prayer for the healing of Pope Francis.”
Cardinal Advincula has requested that parishes and communities pray for Pope Francis, including organizing a Holy Hour for the healing of the sick.
“I would like to request our parishes and communities to organize community prayers for the intention of the Pope. Let us likewise offer our personal and family prayers for this intention,” Advincula said in a statement.
“Let us unite ourselves in prayer in this trying time for the Church,” he added.
Cebu Archbishop, Jose Palma also called for prayers for the 88-year-old Pontiff.
“On behalf of the Archdiocese of Cebu, I would like to solicit and ask for your fervent prayers for our Holy Father who we know is sick. In God’s love, we pray for his healing,” he said in a statement.
“We know how much he means to us, and how much he loves us. In this prayer of healing, may he recover to good health, that he may continue to serve in the same zeal and charity for all of us. And so once more, I plead, I ask for fervent prayers for the intentions of our Holy Father. We pray that the Lord, in His kindness, will bring him back to health. God bless.”
In Nigeria, the Catholic Broadcast Commission, echoed calls for prayers, asking Catholics to pray the Memorare thus: “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To thee do we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen. Health of the Sick… Pray for us.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, on Tuesday, also joined calls for prayers for the Holy Father’s recovery.
“Let’s all say a prayer for Pope Francis, who appears to have some serious health issues,” Vance posted on his X handle.
The Pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023.
As a young man in his home country of Argentina, Francis had part of one lung removed following a pulmonary infection, which left him vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.
It would be recalled that Francis spent nine days at Gemelli in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
Before his admission last week, the Pope had bronchitis symptoms for several days and had delegated officials to read prepared speeches at events.
He had been due to lead several events over the weekend for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year which runs through to next January, however, all public events on the Pope’s calendar have been cancelled through to Sunday.
This is the pope’s fourth hospitalization since he took over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013.
He underwent significant abdominal surgery in 2021 and then had another procedure in 2023 to repair scar tissue and an abdominal hernia.
He had been hospitalized briefly for treatment for pneumonia earlier that year.
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