Pope Francis remains in critical condition with blood tests showing mild signs of kidney failure 'which is currently under control', the Vatican said on Sunday, February 23, 2025 as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia in both lungs.
Pope Francis, who continues to receive oxygen, took part in the Holy Mass on Sunday morning from the apartment set up on the 10th floor of the Gemelli Hospital where he is receiving treatment.
Days before he was admitted to hospital, Pope Francis looked ill and exhausted as these images tell us.
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IMAGE: Pope Francis, who looks sick and tired, at the weekly audience at the Vatican, February 5, 2025, here and below. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
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Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
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Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
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IMAGE: Pope Francis speaks to people during the weekly audience. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
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IMAGE: Pope Francis at the weekly audience, February 12, 2025. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
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IMAGE: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi leads a prayer for Pope Francis' health at the Church of San Domenico in Bologna, Italy. Photograph: Michele Lapini/Reuters
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IMAGE: A nun kneels while holding a rosary during a prayer for Pope Francis' health at the Church of San Domenico in Bologna. Photograph: Michele Lapini/Reuters
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IMAGE: People pray as candles and flowers are placed at the base of the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome where Pope Francis is admitted for treatment. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
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IMAGE: People pray outside the Gemelli Hospital. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
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IMAGE: A person holds a drawing depicting Pope Francis outside the Gemelli Hospital. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
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IMAGE: Members of the clergy in St Peter's Square at the Vatican as Pope Francis continues treatment at the Gemelli Hospital. Photograph: Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters
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IMAGE: Balloons with an image of Pope Francis are outside the Gemelli Hospital. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
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IMAGE: People stand in front of an image of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. Photograph: Luis Cortes/Reuters
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IMAGE: People attend a Mass to pray for Pope Francis' health at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. Photograph: Luis Cortes/Reuters
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IMAGE: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, celebrates a Mass in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City as pilgrims pray for Pope Francis' health. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com