Pope Francis sends message to 1.2 billion Catholics as he remains in critical condition

The Pope has been in hospital since February 14.

Late last night, the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis was in a critical condition and was showing an 'initial, mild' kidney problem - but was 'vigilant'.

In an even briefer update this morning, The Vatican said that the Pope is 'resting' and that the night 'went well'.

Pope Francis was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic last Friday after being diagnosed with bronchitis the week prior.

Last weekend, that diagnosis was updated to bilateral pneumonia, and all of the Pope's engagements at the Vatican were cancelled.

Yesterday, a message from the Pope was shared by The Vatican, in which he asked people to pray for him. His message said: "I am confidently continuing my hospitalisation at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!

"In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children.

"Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me."

The Pope is being treated for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis. He has a history of respiratory illness dating back to when he lost part of one of his longs to pleurisy as a young man.

At a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday afternoon, Dr Sergio Alfieri - the head of the team taking care of the Pope - and Dr Luigi Carbone - the Vice-Director of the Vatican’s healthcare service - spoke for some forty minutes to a roomful of journalists.

The pair said that they believed the Pope would be hospitalised for "at least" the entirety of the next week, and that Pope Francis is not “in danger of death,” but he’s also not fully “out of danger.”

Perhaps cognizant of his limited time, the Pope has in recent weeks moved to ‘tie up loose ends’ and ensure the continuation of his legacy at a politically sensitive time for the Catholic Church.  

On 6 February, before he was hospitalised, he extended the term of the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as dean of the College of Cardinals – a role that will oversee some preparations for a potential conclave, the secretive gathering that determines the selection of a new pope.

The move, which controversially sidestepped a scheduled vote on the next dean by top cardinals, was intended to ensure that the process plays out according to Francis’s wishes.