Pope Francis “slept all night” and is continuing to rest, the Vatican has said in a one-line statement, after the 88-year-old pontiff had two episodes of acute respiratory failure on Monday.
The pope, who has pneumonia in both lungs, has been at the Gemelli hospital in Rome for more than two weeks.
As of Tuesday morning, the pope was continuing treatment, including “respiratory physiotherapy”, and was receiving high-flow oxygen therapy through a nasal cannula, and not the non-invasive mechanical ventilation that had aided his breathing after the setback on Monday afternoon, a Vatican official said.
The pope’s health condition was stable but within “a complex” framework and he was not out of danger, the official added.
A further update is expected later on Tuesday.
The situation has been touch and go since the pope was admitted to hospital on 14 February. The Vatican said the two episodes of acute respiratory failure on Monday were caused by “significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and a consequent bronchospasm”. Francis also suffered a bronchospasm on Friday, an asthma-style attack that caused him to vomit.
That episode followed a prolonged breathing crisis on 22 February, which required blood transfusions for a low platelet count.
Francis is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed while he was training to be a priest in his native Argentina.
Nightly prayer vigils for the pope’s health continued to take place at St Peter’s Basilica as well as in towns and cities across Italy and abroad. Vigils have also been held outside the Gemelli, which has long been the preferred hospital for pontiffs.
The pope has suffered from ill-health in recent years. He was admitted to hospital in March 2023 for what was eventually diagnosed as pneumonia. He underwent a colon operation in June 2021. The pontiff has often been seen using a wheelchair or a walking stick as a result of sciatic nerve pain and a knee problem.
Before his latest hospital admission, the pope maintained an intense schedule, especially with events related to the Catholic jubilee year.
Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, missed his traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday and the Vatican issued a written text instead.
In it, the pope thanked well-wishers for their prayers, saying: “I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people. Thank you all.”
Source: www.theguardian.com