Pope Francis, hospitalised with pneumonia in both his slight lungs, had a restful night. He slept through the night and continues to rest after suffering two episodes of acute respiratory failure the previous day, the Holy See’s chancery said on Tuesday.
The chancery noted that on Monday the pope suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure caused by “a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and subsequent bronchospasm. Acute respiratory failure, which can be life-threatening, occurs when the slight cannot transfer enough oxygen to the blood or when carbon dioxide builds up in the body.”
The prognosis for the pontiff’s condition remains guarded as medics cannot predict the likely outcome of his condition.
The Pope is being treated in a special ward reserved for pontiffs on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. According to Vatican officials, Francis continues to work there. He skipped the traditional Angelus prayer for the third consecutive Sunday, but instead wrote a special text thanking everyone for their prayers and wishing them a speedy recovery.
The 88-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church was hospitalised on February 14 for treatment of bronchitis. Later, the pontiff was diagnosed with the initial stage of bilateral pneumonia, due to which the planned events with his participation were cancelled.
