Pope Francis resting after early stage kidney insufficiency detected

Doctors say that Pope Francis has shown early signs of kidney insufficiency, as he continues to struggle with pneumonia and a complex lung condition. The Vatican has said he is in a critical condition, but that he was resting on Monday morning after a quiet night.

Late on Sunday, doctors reported that blood tests showed early kidney insufficiency that was nevertheless under control, and that he hadn’t experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday. He was able to attend Mass at the hospital.

The 88-year-old was receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen and was alert and responsive.

Doctors offered a guarded prognosis of the pope’s condition, and said it was touch and go given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. They warned that the main threat facing him is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia.

Medical updates provided by the Vatican, including on Sunday, did not include any references to an onset of sepsis.

Monday marks Pope Francis’ 10th day in the hospital, making this equal to the longest hospitalisation of his papacy. He spent 10 days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital in 2021 after he had 33 centimetres of his colon removed.

Prayers for the pope, meanwhile, poured in from around the world over the weekend, from his native Argentina to the seat of Sunni Islam in Cairo to schoolchildren in Rome.

His condition has revived speculation about what might happen if he becomes unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, and whether he might resign.

Video editor • Rory Elliott Armstrong