EditorPope Francis suffered a sudden episode of respiratory difficulty and was put on a breathing machine on Friday, according to the latest medical update from the Vatican. As a result of this, he will not lead the annual Church service next week to open the Christian season of Lent.
Reports say the Pope is in hospital with pneumonia, suffered a breathing “crisis” , which caused him to vomit but he was given air and responded well, the Vatican said.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe episode came just hours after a Vatican source said the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition was no longer considered critical, following a series of incremental improvements.
A spokesperson later noted that the pope is not considered out of danger at this point. The Vatican source told CNN that doctors expect to know more about his condition in the next 24-48 hours.
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Pope Francis, who has spent the past two weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, “presented an isolated crisis of bronchospasm, which… led to an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory picture,” the Vatican said in a statement on Friday evening.
“The Holy Father promptly underwent bronchoaspiration and began non-invasive mechanical ventilation, with a good response on gas exchange,” it said.
Francis “remained alert and oriented at all times, cooperating with the therapeutic manoeuvres,” it added.
His doctors said it would take the next 24 to 48 hours to see if this breathing trouble has worsened his condition or not, a Vatican source said.
The pontiff, who is “not out of danger,” was using an oxygen mask that covers his nose and mouth but was “in good spirits,” the source added.
He also responded better than others might have done in his condition, the source said.
The pope was hospitalised on February 14 for breathing difficulties but his condition deteriorated into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking alarm.
He suffered a breathing attack at the weekend but since then appeared to have been getting slightly better, with the Vatican releasing more optimistic medical updates.
It has not yet modified the pope’s prognosis of “reserved,” however, which means doctors will not predict changes in his health.
Meanwhile, The Vatican on Friday said Pope Francis is showing improvement as he battles double pneumonia, but will not lead an annual Church service next week to open the Christian season of Lent.
The 88-year-old catholic pontiff has now spent two weeks in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.
The Vatican has not said how long the pope will remain in the hospital, but it announced on Friday that Francis would not lead the traditional Ash Wednesday service on March 5, signaling that his hospitalization may continue into next week.
The annual Church service, which starts the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, was instead entrusted to a senior Vatican official.
In a medical update on Thursday, the Vatican said the pontiff’s condition continued to show improvement, adding, however, that his prognosis remained guarded due to the complexity of his infection.
Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013 and is often described as working himself to exhaustion, has continued leading the Vatican from the hospital.
