Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican on February 5, 2025. Alberto Pizzoli, AFP 

MANILA (UPDATE) — Prayers, please. 

These were the immediate words that Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David shared as Pope Francis battles another health scare in a hospital in Rome. 

"May I ask for your prayers for his healing and recovery during this challenging time," said David in a statement released on Wednesday. 

David, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Pope Francis remains in good spirits and is thankful for the prayers he has received. 

"Pope Francis is currently hospitalized and is undergoing treatment for pneumonia. Despite his condition, doctors say he remains in good spirits and has expressed gratitude for the prayers he has received," David added. 

"The Vatican has canceled all of his engagements as he battles this complex respiratory infection."

Meanwhile, the Minor Basilica & National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, or Quiapo Church, also asked for prayers for the Pontiff's "swift and full recovery". 

The Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope has pneumonia in both lungs and is still admitted at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. 

Pope Francis has double pneumonia: Vatican

The Vatican also said that the pope's "polymicrobial infection, which has arisen in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and has required the use of corticosteroid and antibiotics, makes the therapeutic treatment more complex." 

The press statement added that the pope received the Eucharist yesterday and alternated between rest, prayer, and reading.

 "He expresses his gratitude for the support he feels at this time and kindly asks that prayers for him continue," the Vatican said.

 Pope Francis has been in the hospital since February 14. 

It was the latest health problem confronting the 88-year-old pontiff. 

The pope has been in a wheelchair since 2022 due to a painful torn ligament in his knee 

In 2023, he was hospitalized twice: first was due to a respiratory infection and second was to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia. 

In November of that same year, he canceled a scheduled trip to Dubai due to a "very acute infectious bronchitis."

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