Pope Francis had peaceful night in hospital after 'isolated' breathing crisis, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for just over two weeks fighting double pneumonia, had a peaceful night and was resting on Saturday (Mar 1) after a health setback the day before, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old pontiff experienced a breathing crisis on Friday, renewing concerns over his well-being.

A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to discuss the pope's health, said Francis had not had another respiratory crisis since then.

In a one-line statement, the Vatican said the night had passed peacefully. The official said the pope had had breakfast, including a cup of coffee. The next detailed medical bulletin is expected at around 7pm (1800 GMT).

On Friday, the Vatican said Francis had suffered an isolated crisis, including "vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory condition".

He needed aspiration to help remove the vomit from his airways, the Vatican said, and also required non-invasive, mechanical ventilation - meaning that he was not intubated, which would have necessitated sedation.

The Vatican official said his team of doctors was expected to take 24 to 48 hours to evaluate how the episode would impact the state of his clinical condition.

The official said that for a third week running, the pope was not expected to lead his usual Sunday prayers with pilgrims and that once again the text of the Angelus prayer would likely be published rather than read out.

The 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.

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Feb 14 with severe respiratory problems that swiftly degenerated into double pneumonia - a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.

He last suffered what the Vatican described as a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" on Feb 22, but there had not been any repeat crises until Friday.

The Vatican has not yet modified the pope's prognosis of "reserved", however, which means doctors will not predict changes in his health.

STILL RESERVED

Medical experts have warned that Francis's age and the chronic respiratory disease from which he suffers mean a sustained recovery could take time.

The pope, head of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics, had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man and has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.

He is prone to bronchitis and suffers from hip and knee pain which has made him reliant on a wheelchair.

Nonetheless, Francis has continued to work from the special hospital suite on the Gemelli's 10th floor.

He also has been doing breathing exercises in between resting and praying, according to the Vatican.

This hospital stay is the fourth of the Argentine's nearly 12-year papacy and the longest.

In recent years, he has had surgery on his colon and a hernia operation, as well as a previous stay in hospital with bronchitis.

There has been speculation as to whether Francis might now resign, especially as his schedule has been packed with papal duties amid celebrations for the holy Jubilee year.

"If the pope survives, many imagine that he will want to finish the Jubilee year but that afterwards, when he is 89, he will face the question of whether or not to resign," Italian Vatican expert Marco Politi told AFP.

Francis has always been open to following his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 stepped down because of his physical and mental health.

But before his hospitalisation, Francis had repeatedly said it was not yet the time - and may never be.