Holy See Press Office: Pope Francis Has Double Pneumonia

Pope Francis, who was hospitalized last Friday at Gemelli Hospital in Rome to treat bronchitis, has developed pneumonia in both of his lungs.

The Holy See Press Office said in a statement tonight, "Laboratory tests, chest X-rays, and the clinical condition of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture."

Also according to the statement: "Pope Francis remains in good spirits."

And finally: The Pope has "received the Eucharist and, throughout the day, alternated between rest, prayer, and reading. He expresses his gratitude for the support he feels at this time and kindly asks that prayers for him continue."

Benedict XVI Dies

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Read more: Farewell to Benedict XVI: ‘Humble worker in vineyard of the Lord' (Vatican News)

Pope Francis Recovering from Colon Surgery

Pope Francis has returned to the Vatican after an 11-day hospitalization for colon surgery. The Holy Father had been hospitalized on July 4 and underwent an operation to relieve severe stricture of the colon caused by colon pouches, specifically diverticulitis.

Before his discharge, Pope Francis spent time with other patients in the Pediatric Oncology department on the 10th floor of the hospital, meeting with many young cancer patients.

The pope's hospital stay took place in the wing reserved specially for papal medical emergencies, and he made use of the same suite where St. John Paul II stayed for treatment during his pontificate.

Read more: Pope Francis returns to Vatican after colon surgery

Watch Live: Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II

Watch the live online video stream of Pope Francis as he celebrates the canonization of two of his predecessors, Blessed Pope John XXIII and Blessed Pope John Paul II as saints. The Papal Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday and canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM CEST (4:00 AM EDT).




St. John XIII


St. John Paul II

Retired Pope Benedict Welcomed Back to Vatican

For the first time in history, the Vatican is hosting a current pope (Pope Francis) and a retired pope (Benedict XIV), as the latter has returned now that his new home has been remodeled.

From Catholic News Service:

Pope Francis welcomed his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, to the Vatican May 2 outside the convent remodeled for the 86-year-old retired pontiff and five aides. Pope Francis and Pope Benedict entered the convent's chapel together "for a brief moment of prayer," said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

Read more: Catholic News Service

Pope Francis Delivers Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi

What follows is the official English translation of Pope Francis' Urbi et Orbi message delivered on Easter Sunday 2013. Happy Easter to all from your friends at The Pope Blog!

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter! 

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons … 

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs! 

We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this! 

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope. 

This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7). 

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14). 

So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish. 

And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world. 

Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found? 

Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. 

Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear. 

Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow. 

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation. 

Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’” (Ps 117:1-2). 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, to you who have come from all over the world to this Square at the heart of Christianity, and to you linked by modern technology, I repeat my greeting: Happy Easter! 

Bear in your families and in your countries the message of joy, hope and peace which every year, on this day, is powerfully renewed. 

May the risen Lord, the conqueror of sin and death, be a support to you all, especially to the weakest and neediest. Thank you for your presence and for the witness of your faith. A thought and a special thank-you for the beautiful flowers, which come from the Netherlands. To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace.

Source: The Vatican