International

The pope suffers from “bilateral pneumonia” and his clinical picture remains “complex”

Pope Francis suffers from bilateral pneumonia that requires additional pharmacological treatment to that used for polymicrobial infection and his clinical picture remains “complex”, the Vatican reported on Tuesday.

“The chest computed tomography that the Holy Father underwent this afternoon, prescribed by the Vatican health team and by the medical team of the Polyclinic Foundation “A. Gemelli,” demonstrated the appearance of bilateral pneumonia that requires additional pharmacological therapy.”

Pope Francis will not attend the jubilee hearing scheduled for this Saturday, while at the mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Deacons on Sunday he will be replaced by the head of the dicastery for Evangelization, Rino Fisichella, the Vatican reported on Tuesday.

Pope Francis spent a quiet night and during the morning he has dedicated himself to reading the press, on the fifth day of hospitalization at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.

The medical reports released this Monday explained that the pope’s clinical picture is “complex”, so his hospitalization will be prolonged at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is admitted for “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract”, which forced him to change the therapy he receives.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Despite his hospitalization, Francisco spoke again last night with the parish of the Sagrada Familia, the only Catholic church in Gaza, his parish priest, the Argentine priest Gabriel Romanelli, explained to the Italian media.

For the moment, it has only transpired that the pontiff has spent his fourth night quietly at the Gemelli and today an update of the report on his health conditions and on whether the treatment is working is expected.

“The Holy Father continues without fever and with the prescribed treatment. The clinical conditions are stable,” said the latest statement issued on Monday afternoon, the Holy See, about the state of health of the 88-year-old pontiff.

Previously, the Vatican had explained that the latest tests carried out showed “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract that has forced to further modify the therapy” of Francis, whose treatment had already been modified on Saturday, after the first tests.

The Vatican added that the “complex clinical picture will require adequate hospitalization”, which suggests that the pope will remain in the hospital for several days and that he will probably miss some of the many acts of the Holy Year, as has already happened with this Monday for the Jubilee of the artists in the Cinecittà studios or the Jubilee of the deacons this weekend.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”