Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has visited a jovial Pope Francis in hospital, a day after he was diagnosed with double pneumonia, saying that she had found him alert and responsive.
"We joked as always. He hasn't lost his proverbial sense of humour," Meloni said in a statement.
Meloni is the first confirmed outside visitor known to have called on the pope, apart from his secretaries and medical team, since his hospital admission.
The Italian premier, who came to power in 2022 touting her Christian credentials, has referred in glowing terms to the influence on her of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, both reference points for European conservatives like herself.
While she and Francis don't see eye-to-eye on her crackdown on migrants, they have teamed up constructively on a campaign to reverse Italy's low birthrate.
Her visit came as prayers were pouring in for Francis' recovery.
Tests have confirmed the 88-year-old pontiff had developed pneumonia in both lungs in a further complication that raised concerns about his ability to fight off the infection.
In an early update on Wednesday, the Vatican said Francis spent his fifth night in Rome's Gemelli hospital peacefully.
"He had a tranquil night, woke up and had breakfast," spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
The pope, who had the upper lobe of his right lung removed as a young man, was in good spirits and grateful for the prayers for his recovery, Bruni said.
On Wednesday, Francis' vicar for Rome urged all the faithful to devote an hour of silent prayer for the pope before evening vespers services, and pilgrims who had planned to attend his weekly general audience came to St Peter's Square anyway to offer a prayer after it was cancelled.
"I think many people are disappointed but I think more importantly we really have to pray for his health," said Sister Charlene, a nun from Singapore who was in the piazza.
Francis was admitted to the Gemelli hospital Friday after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.
On Monday, medical personnel determined that he was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning a mix of viruses, bacteria and possibly other organisms had colonised in his respiratory tract.
Late Tuesday, the Vatican said a chest CT scan showed the onset of bilateral pneumonia on top of asthmatic bronchitis, which is being treated with cortisone and antibiotics.
Bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, which is a deeper and far more serious infection of the lungs' air sacs.
Pneumonia can develop in part or all of one lung or in both lungs. It tends to be more serious when both lungs are affected because there isn't healthy tissue to compensate.
Treatment varies by severity but can include providing oxygen through a nasal tube or mask, intravenous fluids — and treatment of the underlying cause of the infection.
To date, Francis is breathing on his own and his heart function is said to be good.
The Vatican hasn't provided any information about how Francis is responding to any of the drugs he has been given other than to say he isn't running a fever.
The Argentine pope, who has previously admitted to being a non-compliant patient, has a number of conditions that make him particularly at risk for complications.
Aside from his age, he is not physically active and uses a wheelchair, limiting his ability to clear the fluids building up in his lungs.
Severe cases of pneumonia are typically treated for about one to two weeks, but recovery in an older person could extend beyond that.
Despite the less than positive news about Francis' condition, Francis was receiving get-well drawings and cards from children being treated in the hospital's oncology ward.
And at the Vatican on Wednesday, Holy Year pilgrimages continued, with groups of faithful walking through the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica on a chilly and cloudy day.
A group of South Korean pilgrims in traditional costumes had planned to attend Francis' weekly Wednesday general audience and show off their national dress, as pilgrims often do for the pope's weekly appointment.
When it was cancelled, they came anyway.
"The Lunar New Year was very recent so we also wanted to bow traditionally and formally in front of him," said Junhee Christina Kim, a pilgrim from Seoul, South Korea.
with Reuters