Pope Francis remains in critical condition but is showing "slight improvement," says the Vatican.
The 88-year-old pontiff will spend his 11th night at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the longest hospitalization of his nearly 12-year papacy.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis remains in critical condition as he battles double pneumonia, but his condition has shown a "slight improvement," the Vatican said on Monday.
The 88-year-old pontiff will spend his 11th night at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, the longest hospitalization of his nearly 12-year papacy. "The Holy Father's clinical condition, while critical, has shown a slight improvement," said the latest update on his health.
According to the statement, the Pope is still receiving oxygen, "although with a slightly reduced flow and percentage of oxygen."
The statement added that the "mild kidney failure," first reported last Sunday, is "not a cause for concern."
A Vatican official, who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak about the pope's condition, said that Francis was eating normally and was able to get up and move around in his hospital room.
The statement released on Monday said that the Pope resumed his work in the afternoon and called the parish priest of Gaza in the evening.
On Sunday, the Vatican described the pope's condition as critical for the second day. On Saturday, it had stated that the pope needed a blood transfusion after experiencing a "prolonged respiratory crisis similar to asthma."
Monday's update stated that the Pope had not experienced any further respiratory problems and that some of his laboratory tests had "improved."
Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs, making breathing difficult. The Vatican described the Pope's infection as "complex" and said it was caused by two or more microorganisms.
Pope Francis, who has been in the Pope's office since 2013, has suffered from health problems over the past two years. He is especially prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy when he was young and had part of his lung removed.
Cardinals speculate about the Pope - The pope's prolonged illness has provoked an unusual amount of public speculation among Catholic cardinals, the highest-ranking authorities in the 1,4 billion-member Church after the pontiff.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who as far as is known is not close to Francis and has not cited any information beyond medical updates from the Vatican, said in a homily during Mass at his cathedral last Sunday that the Pope was "probably close to death."
German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, a former Vatican official famous for disagreeing with the pope on doctrinal issues, reprimanded prelates who were publicly speculating about the pope's condition or planning a conclave, the meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope.
He told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the cardinals are not receiving any more information than the public about the pope's condition.
