Inside The Vatican

In this special update, we report on a concerning turn in Pope Francis’ health. Earlier today, Feb. 28, the Vatican announced that the pope suffered a severe “bronchial spasm,” causing vomiting and inhalation complications that worsened his breathing. Doctors cleared his airways and stabilized him, but informed sources tell America he is back in a “critical state.”

His prognosis remains guarded, and doctors say it will take a day or two to assess the impact of this setback.

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Pope Francis remains in critical condition after being hospitalized for bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. While his condition is serious, there are signs of improvement, including progress in his lab results and increased mobility. However, his doctors caution that he is not out of danger, and his condition could still worsen.

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell provide a comprehensive update on Pope Francis’ health crisis, discussing the Vatican’s daily health reports and a recent press conference in which the pope’s medical team shared details of his condition. Despite the severity of his illness, his doctors highlighted his good humor and mobility. Colleen and Gerry also address the misinformation that has been circulating about the pope’s health.

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The Vatican told the press this evening, Saturday, Feb. 22, that Pope Francis experienced what it called a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis”—essentially, the symptoms of a severe asthma attack—requiring him to receive high-flow oxygen.

This evening’s update also said that Francis’ most recent blood tests revealed “thrombocytopenia,” which is a lowered level of platelets in the blood that is common in critical care patients. This condition resulted in a need for the pope to receive blood transfusions.

Repeating what doctors said at the press conference yesterday, the Vatican said, Pope Francis’ condition remains critical, and he is not yet out of danger.

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Pope Francis remains hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since his admission on Feb. 14 with a respiratory infection, later confirmed as double pneumonia. He is stable, without fever, and in good spirits. In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss his diagnosis, treatment, and how the week has unfolded for the pope.



In the second half of the show, Colleen and Gerry use Pope Francis’ letter to the U.S. bishops—offering a strong critique of U.S. immigration policy under Trump—as a springboard to explore broader policy tensions between the new administration and the Vatican, from Gaza and Ukraine to U.S.A.I.D. funding, climate change, and artificial intelligence. They also consider whether any common ground can be found between the two.

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Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on Friday, February 14 for a respiratory infection that the pope referred to as bronchitis. He underwent tests and rested over the weekend, skipping his Sunday Angelus for the first time in 12 years. The Vatican said his condition was improving on Saturday and Sunday and that the fever he entered the hospital with had gone away.

A statement from the Vatican Monday morning, however, revealed that Pope Francis may need to stay in the hospital longer than originally anticipated. When the pope entered the hospital, the Vatican announced all his engagements were cancelled through Monday. This morning’s statement said that the pope’s test results have shown “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract,” which paints a “complex clinical picture that will require an adequate hospital stay.” It was unclear how long that stay would be.

Read Gerry’s latest report here.

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The Vatican released the long-awaited document Antiqua et Nova ("Ancient and New") on artificial intelligence on Jan. 28. It explores the relationship between human and artificial intelligence, emphasizing that humans cannot be replaced by AI, which must always serve the common good. Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary for the culture section of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, joins Inside the Vatican host Colleen Dulle to discuss the document, and Vatican's broader approach and response to AI.

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This morning, Feb. 11, Pope Francis sent a letter to the U.S. bishops denouncing President Trump’s mass deportation program, which has already deported thousands of people and sparked fear in the migrant community.

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On Monday, Feb. 3, the Vatican hosted its first International Summit on Children’s Rights, which Pope Francis called an “open observatory” for children’s protection in an attempt to showcase “the reality of childhood throughout the world, a childhood that is unfortunately often hurt, exploited, denied.” In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry dive into the goals of the summit and unpack Pope Francis’ plan to write a papal document dedicated to children, described as an attempt “to give continuity to this commitment and promote it throughout the church.”

In the second half of the episode, Colleen and Gerry discuss Pope Francis’ call for a common date for Easter among all Christian Churches in 2025, which he announced during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from Jan. 19-25. As it happens, the churches will share a common date this year on Apr. 20, 2025.  

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This special deep dive episode recaps the 2024 VaticanRoman meeting of the Synod on Synodality, featuring interviews with five synod delegates about the tensions and unexpected breakthroughs in the Synod hall—and outside it.

The episode brings listeners inside Synod meetings with archival audio, and parses the synod’s final document, which Pope Francis adopted as part of the church’s magisterial teachings. Finally, host Colleen Dulle and expert guests look at what the Synod’s results demand now from church leaders and every baptised Catholic.

Guests include:

- Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, Australia

- Helena Jeppesen, a Swiss synod delegate

- Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University and a synod delegate

- Diana Macalintal, co-founder of “Team Initiation”

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This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., filling in for Colleen Dulle, speaks with Gerard O’Connell about Pope Francis’ recent interview on Italian TV. In the interview, given on the eve of the U.S. presidential inauguration, the pope announced that by March he would appoint a woman to lead the Vatican City-State government. He also criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans as a “disaster.”

Last week, the Biden administration announced that Cuba would release 553 political prisoners, and in return, the U.S. would remove Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism—a deal reportedly brokered by the Vatican. However, on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump reversed this decision reinstating Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorismon his first day back in office. This reversal has jeopardized the agreement and raised concerns among the families of the prisoners who were set to be released.  

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Links for further reading

Pope Francis assures Donald Trump of his prayers, but says mass deportations would be a ‘disgrace’

Cuba to release 553 prisoners for Jubilee at Pope Francis’ request

Pope Francis falls, suffers bruise but no fractures

Pope Francis dissolves Peru-based Catholic movement after abuses uncovered by Vatican

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