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, born as Robert Prevost in Chicago and known for most of his life as “Bob,” has had a quiet start to his pontificate. But with the world facing crisis after crisis, the first-ever American pope is stepping up his efforts at moral suasion in defense of a fading international order that the American president, among other leaders, is rapidly dismantling.The papacy has always been political.

Simone Basile, a self-styled “influencer” known as the “8th King of Rome,” disguised himself to infiltrate the Rome hospital where Francis is being treated. Basile, a former funeral worker, livestreamed his attempt to “expose” the pope’s absence, despite Vatican officials sharing daily health updates, photos, and even an audio recording of Francis.

Pope Francis said in a letter published Tuesday that his lengthy illness has helped make «more lucid» to him the absurdity of war, as his top deputy shot down any suggestion of resignation and plans progressed for an upcoming meeting with Britain's King Charles III, as per a report. Italian daily Corriere della Sera published a letter to the editor from Francis, signed and dated March 14 from Rome's Gemelli hospital where the 88-year-old pontiff has been treated since February 14 for a complex lung infection and double pneumonia, AP reported. In it, Francis renewed his call for diplomacy and international organizations to find a “new vitality and credibility.” And he said that his own illness had also helped make some things clearer to him, including the «absurdity of war». “Human fragility has the power to make us more lucid about what endures and what passes, what brings life and what kills,” he wrote. Responding to a letter from the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Luciano Fontana, Francis also urged him and all those in the media to “feel the full importance of words.”

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NATO member states’ troops being deployed and have stated that such a move will result in catastrophic losses for European forces.

The 88-year-old, who has been admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital, was aware and resting on Thursday after a peaceful night, ABC News reported.

double pneumonia, and since then his health has not improved steadily but has instead shown more and more complications over time. According to a recent statement by the Vatican, Pope Francis was affected by two episodes of acute respiratory failure recently, says an India Today report.

In a late update, the Vatican said the episodes were caused by a «significant accumulation» of mucus in his lungs and bronchial spasms. «Two bronchoscopies were performed with the need for aspiration of copious secretions,» the Vatican said, AP reported.

double pneumonia, but doctors remain cautious about his condition. A CT scan taken on Tuesday evening indicated that his infection is progressing as expected under treatment. However, the Vatican stressed on Wednesday that his prognosis is still guarded.

Pope Francis remained in critical but stable condition on Tuesday as he continued working from the hospital while battling double pneumonia. The Vatican stated that the 88-year-old pontiff had not experienced any new respiratory crises and that his blood parameters were stable. A follow-up CAT scan was conducted in the evening to assess his lung infection, though the results were not disclosed. Doctors maintained a guarded prognosis.

Pope Francis is currently not in a very good state of health, with the 88-year-old now suffering from kidney failure in a hospital, according to a recent statement from the Vatican. Pope Francis is already suffering from a complex lung condition as well as pneumonia and now this development about his kidney condition is concerning for the Vatican, according to a Daily Mail UK report.

Gemelli Hospital. The Vatican confirmed that the pontiff suffered a prolonged respiratory crisis, requiring high-flow oxygen. Despite his condition, he remains alert and spent most of the day in an armchair, though visibly more fatigued than before.

Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis will miss the Angelus prayer on Sunday for the second straight week as the 88-year-old is treated in hospital for pneumonia, the Vatican said. The text will only be published, not read out, as it was last weekend, the Vatican press office said Saturday. Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, but it turned into pneumonia in both lungs, causing widespread alarm.

Pope Francis was recently diagnosed with double pneumonia and is currently recovering in a hospital in Rome, Italy.

Pope Francis is currently the most powerful Catholic in the world in the position of the oldest pope in a century, but there are already thoughts about his successor due to his declining health. Currently, Pope Francis is aged 88 years and he has now developed pneumonia in his lungs and is currently hospitalized while he battles the infection, as per sources from the Vatican.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. This may be the year to skip Rome—or Italy entirely. The Roman Catholic Church is celebrating a jubilee year, a roughly yearlong tradition dating to the early 14th century.