The terse update comes as Pope Francis remains in critical condition following a respiratory crisis on Saturday that required high-flow oxygen therapy and a blood transfusion.

Pope Francis's ninth night in hospital was peaceful, the Vatican said Sunday, the day after revealing the 88-year-old was in a "critical" condition.The pope had on Saturday suffered a prolonged respiratory attack and required blood transfusions,

Rome's Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis is being treated for bronchitis, is the favoured choice of pontiffs -- to the point of being dubbed "Vatican III" by John Paul II. It is the fourth visit to the Gemelli since 2021 for the 88-year-old Francis,