Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, Vatican says

Faithful pray for Pope Francis outside the Policlinico A. Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where Pope Francis is hospitalized. Antonio Masiello/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Pope Francis has "bilateral pneumonia" and continues to receive medical care at a hospital in Rome, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.

"Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father's clinical condition continue to present a complex picture," the Vatican said on Tuesday. The pope has a "polymicrobial infection" that arose during a recent bout with bronchitis and complicates the pope's treatment, the Vatican added. The detection of pneumonia after chest x-rays requires "further drug therapy."

The 88-year-old Pope is reported to be in "fair" condition, and is said to be eating breakfast, reading the newspapers and even doing some work from the hospital.

Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man, and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter.

Given his condition, some Vatican events have been canceled. There will be no weekly general audience on Wednesday, and it's not clear if Francis will miss his Sunday noon blessing for a second week in a row.

The Vatican press office stated that the Pope had, "received the Eucharist and, throughout the day, alternated between rest, prayer, and reading."