Vatican: Pope Francis breathing without mask after respiratory attacks

Pope Francis was breathing without a mask on Tuesday after suffering two bouts of acute respiratory failure, the Vatican said as the leader of the world's Catholics spent his 19th day in hospital with pneumonia.

The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff, head of the Catholic Church since 2013, "slept all night long and continues to rest" following Monday's crisis, the Holy See said.

As of Tuesday morning, Francis had switched from an oxygen mask to high-flow oxygen delivered through a cannula, a plastic tube which tucks into the nostrils, a statement read. He is continuing his treatment and respiratory physiotherapy, it added. In its evening update on Monday, the Vatican stressed Francis's prognosis remained "reserved" – an indication that doctors cannot predict the likely outcome of his condition.

Francis, who leads the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs. His admission has sparked widespread alarm, and well-wishers across the world have been praying for his recovery.

The Buenos Aires-born pontiff, who had part of a lung removed as a young man, had already suffered two breathing crises in the days running up to Monday's double attack. The pope had "experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm," the Vatican said on Monday evening.

Acute respiratory failure, which can be life-threatening, occurs when the lungs cannot pass enough oxygen into the blood or when carbon dioxide builds up in the body. 

 

'Very bad sign'

Francis had been breathless and struggled to read his texts in the days leading up to his admission to the Gemelli hospital, which has a special papal suite on the 10th floor.On February 22, he suffered a "prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis", followed on February 28 by "an isolated crisis of bronchospasm" – a tightening of the muscles that line the airways in the lungs.

Medical experts warned Francis's continued stay in hospital and the repeated crises were alarming.

"At 88 years old, being in the hospital for two weeks and having repeated episodes of respiratory discomfort is a very bad sign," Bruno Crestani, head of the pulmonology department at Bichat hospital in Paris, told AFP.

Herve Pegliasco, head of pulmonology at the European Hospital in Marseille, added that with double pneumonia, "there is the issue of exhaustion, because he is forced to make much more effort to breathe."

The Vatican said on Monday the pope was alert and cooperative during his latest crisis, which required two separate bronchoscopies, where doctors look into the air passages using a small camera at the base of a flexible tube.

 

No visits planned

Francis has been working during his time in the Gemelli, talking on the telephone and receiving some officials, according to Vatican sources. No visits were planned on Tuesday, the Vatican press office said.

Francis has not been seen in public for almost three weeks and the last photos taken of him were from his private audiences on the morning of his admission to hospital.

The Argentine missed his traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday and the Vatican issued a written text instead. In it, the pope thanked the well-wishers around the world who have been holding prayers for his recovery, including outside the hospital and every evening at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

"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," he said.

Francis has suffered numerous health issues in recent years, including colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia operation in 2023, and uses a wheelchair due to hip and knee pain. He has always left open the option of resigning if his health declined, following the example set by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, but had repeatedly dismissed the idea before his admission to hospital.

 

---

What we know about the health of Pope Francis

Pope Francis, 88, has been in hospital in Rome since February 14 and on Monday suffered two episodes of "acute respiratory failure."

Here is what we know about the health of the Argentine pontiff, head of the Catholic Church and its almost 1.4 billion followers since 2013.

Francis was admitted to the Gemelli hospital initially for bronchitis, but this then developed into pneumonia in both lungs.

On February 22 the Vatican revealed he had suffered a "prolonged asthmatic attack" which required him to receive "high-flow" oxygen via a nasal cannula.

Francis also required blood transfusions for thrombocytopenia, a blood condition that can prevent clotting and lead to continued bleeding.

Over the following days, the Vatican reported an incrementally more positive picture, but there was another major issue on February 28.

The pope suffered "an isolated crisis of bronchospasm" – a tightening of the muscles that line the airways in the lungs – which caused "an episode of vomiting with inhalation," the Holy See said.

He began "non-invasive mechanical ventilation" – receiving oxygen through a mask, according to a Vatican source – and was nevertheless reported to be "in good spirits."

On Sunday, the pope's condition "remained stable," the Holy See said in its official update that day, but on Monday Francis suffered new attacks. 

"Two episodes of acute respiratory failure" were due to a "significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm," it said.

Doctors performed two bronchoscopies – chest probes – in order to remove "abundant secretions" and the pope later continued to use an oxygen mask.

Acute respiratory failure occurs when the lungs cannot pass enough oxygen into the blood, or when carbon dioxide builds up in the body.

It can be life-threatening.

The pope has been staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, praying and performing some work, according to a Vatican source.

He has been reading and signing documents, notably appointments of bishops around the world, as well as making telephone calls.

Francis has twice received Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and Edgar Peña Parra, a Venezuelan archbishop who is Parolin's number two.

But he has not been seen in public since being hospitalised, notably missing his Sunday Angelus prayers, which during previous hospital stays he delivered from the Gemelli balcony.

Instead, the Vatican has published his written texts each week.

In a notable shift towards transparency compared to previous papacies, the Vatican has been providing twice-daily updates on Francis's health.

The morning statement, normally one line shortly after 0700 GMT on his night's sleep and whether he has eaten breakfast, arrives to accredited reporters via Telegram and then is sent via email.

A more detailed medical bulletin arrives around 1800 GMT, describing the pope's clinical progress.

Doctors said Francis himself had requested they be frank about his medical state.

This is Francis's fourth hospital stay since he became pope on March 13, 2013, and is the longest and most fraught.

He has, in recent years, suffered from a number of health problems, even while maintaining a packed schedule, including many overseas trips.

Francis was admitted to the Gemelli between July 4 and July 14, 2021, for surgery on a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.

In March 2023, he was an inpatient for three days for bronchitis and between June 7 and June 16 that year was admitted for a hernia operation.

As a young man, he had part of his right lung removed, making him more susceptible to respiratory infections.

Knee and hip pain have forced him to use a wheelchair since 2022. He underwent cataract surgery in 2019 and recently began wearing a hearing aid. 

 

– TIMES/AFP