Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said the Pope said he was “wry and responsive and joking” during his hospital visit.
Pope Francis’ blood tests show “slight improvements” in his condition as he is undergoing hospital treatment for pneumonia, the Vatican said.
The Vatican said Wednesday that the 88-year-old Pope was in stable condition as he is currently fighting an ongoing respiratory infection.
Francis was admitted to Gemeri Hospital in Rome, Italy on February 14th after struggling with difficulty breathing for several days.
“The Holy Father’s clinical status is stable,” a brief statement from the Vatican said.
“Blood tests… have shown slight improvements, especially in inflammation markers.”
The Vatican previously said the Pope suffered from multimicrobial infections and added that he would remain in the hospital for as long as it is necessary to tackle “complex clinical situations.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the Pope on Wednesday, and he joked with her, saying he was “highly wary and responsive.”
“He has not lost his sense of proverbs of humor,” said Meloni, the first known visitor at the Pope’s hospital.
She and Francis haven’t seen her crackdown on immigration, but they have been helping out a campaign to overturn Italy’s low birth rates.
Vatican officials said Wednesday that Francis was not on a ventilator and was breathing himself.
Officials said the Pope was able to get out of bed and sit in an armchair in his hospital room, and continued to do some work.
To cancel the Pope’s weekly audience, Vatican pilgrims on Wednesday expressed hope for his recovery.
“I pray for him so that he can recover as quickly as possible,” said Gianfranco Rizzo, a pilgrim from Bali, Italy.
Victoria Dalmody, a British tourist, said she came to Jemeri Hospital to be near the Pope.
“I was hoping to go to the Pope’s audience today, but instead I felt this was the right place,” she said.
The Argentine Pope, as a young adult, is particularly prone to pulmonary infections as he developed pleuropathy and removed part of one lung.
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