Pope Francis suffers acute subsisting crises amid pneumonia battle: Vatican Pope Francis has suffered two bouts of “acute” respiratory difficulties as he struggles to recover from double pneumonia in hospital, the Vatican reported.
Francis, admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital more than two weeks ago, suffered a “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs, which triggered two episodes of “acute respiratory insufficiency” on Monday, the Vatican revealed in the statement.
The Pope also suffered a bronchospasm, akin to an asthma attack, leading doctors to perform two bronchoscopies to analyse his air passages, with “large secretions” of mucus removed during the procedures.
To help with living, he also required “non-invasive, mechanical ventilation”, disclosed the statement, which described his prognosis as “guarded”, meaning he is not yet out of danger.
The 88-year-old pope endured alert, oriented and cooperated with medical personnel throughout the intervention.
In the earlier update, the Vatican had stated that he was up and receiving therapies after sleeping “well all night long”.
Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has experienced several bouts of ill health over the previous two years and is prone to lung infections after suffering pleurisy as a young adult, the category that led to him having part of one lung removed.
Double pneumonia is the serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to live.
Earlier Monday, he had issued a new message dated February 26 from the hospital denouncing the “progressive irrelevance” of international organisations to combat war.
Francis’s oblivion from public life has been the longest of his 12-year papacy, with no photos or videos issued by the Vatican since before he entered the hospital on February 14 with a complex lung infection.
He has, however, signed off on documents with “From Gemelli Polyclinic”, indicating that he has been up and working during his abeyance.
His doctors have not reported how long his treatment might take.
Regards to Al Jazeera
Category: World-News
Tag: Pope Francis suffers acute subsisting crises amid pneumonia battle Vatican
Written by Author
Published 3/4/2025