Critically Ill Pope Francis Rested Well All Night, Vatican Says 

A view of the obelisk illuminated with the image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, taken on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
A view of the obelisk illuminated with the image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, taken on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Critically Ill Pope Francis Rested Well All Night, Vatican Says 

A view of the obelisk illuminated with the image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, taken on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
A view of the obelisk illuminated with the image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, taken on February 24, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who is in critical condition in hospital battling double pneumonia, is alert, rested well throughout the night and is continuing his treatment, the Vatican said on Tuesday. 

The 88-year-old pope is spending his 12th day at Rome's Gemelli hospital, in the longest hospital stay of his nearly 12-year-old papacy. 

"The pope rested well all night," the Vatican said in a one-sentence statement that did not provide further details. 

A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the pope's condition, said Francis was eating normally, moving about his hospital room, and continuing his treatment. 

On Monday, the Vatican said the pontiff's condition remained critical but had shown a "slight improvement", adding that a "mild kidney insufficiency", first reported at the weekend, was not a cause for concern. 

Double pneumonia is a serious infection of both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican has described the pope's infection as "complex", and said it was caused by two or more microorganisms. 

Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered several bouts of ill health over the past two years. He is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed. 

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on Monday evening to pray for the pope's recovery. 

The pope signaled in early February that he had a bad cold, which meant he could not read out his speeches. Despite this, he continued to have meetings every day and even take part in open-air Masses, despite the chill. 

In Monday's statement, the Vatican said Francis had resumed working in his self-contained apartment within the Gemelli hospital, and had called the Catholic parish in Gaza, which he has done frequently during the Israel-Hamas war. 

The Vatican is expected to send another medical bulletin at around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT). 



Kremlin Says Putin Open to Normalizing Ties with Finland if Helsinki Wants to Rebuild Ties

Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool
Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool
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Kremlin Says Putin Open to Normalizing Ties with Finland if Helsinki Wants to Rebuild Ties

Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool
Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin was open to normalizing relations with Finland, which his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said were in a "sad state," if Helsinki wanted to rebuild ties.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb told his British counterpart Keir Starmer on Monday that Helsinki needs to "mentally prepare" for the restoration of ties with Russia, Reuters reported.

Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (800-mile) border with Russia, joined the NATO military alliance in 2023, which Moscow cast at the time as a dangerous historic mistake.