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Pope Francis remained stable on Tuesday and did not suffer any further respiratory crises, the Vatican has said.
The pope, who has pneumonia in both lungs, has been at the Gemelli hospital in Rome for more than two weeks.
The Vatican said in its evening update that the pontiff, 88, remained stable and had had “no episodes of respiratory failure” or bronchospasm, which is an asthma-style attack.
It said Francis had no fever and had been receiving high-flow oxygen through a nasal cannula since Tuesday morning.
It also said his breathing overnight would be aided by “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” until Wednesday morning, adding he was always alert and “collaborating with therapies”.
A Vatican official said the pope’s overall clinical condition, for example his heart and kidney health, was stable compared with previous days, but that he was continuing treatment within “a complex framework” and was not out of danger.
The situation has been touch and go since the pope was admitted to hospital on 14 February. The Vatican said the two episodes of acute respiratory failure on Monday were caused by “significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and a consequent bronchospasm”.
Francis also suffered a bronchospasm on Friday that caused him to vomit and inhale vomit. That episode followed a prolonged breathing crisis on 22 February, which required blood transfusions for a low platelet count.
Bronchospasms are not unexpected in a patient with complex pneumonia, the Vatican official said.
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a senior Vatican official, will replace Pope Francis in leading the Ash Wednesday service, which marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent, on Rome’s Aventine Hill.
On some days since his admission, however, Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013 and is often described as working himself to exhaustion, has continued to lead the Vatican from his hospital room, including approving individuals for sainthood last week.
He has also made several staff appointments, and on Friday the Vatican released a papal letter to participants in a church training course in Rome, which was signed by Francis with a note to say it was sent from Gemelli hospital.
Nightly prayer vigils for the pope’s health continued to take place at St Peter’s Basilica as well as in towns and cities across Italy and abroad. Vigils have also been held outside the Gemelli, which has long been the preferred hospital for pontiffs.
Francis is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed while training to be a priest in his native Argentina.
The pope has suffered from ill health in recent years. He was admitted to hospital in March 2023 for what was diagnosed as pneumonia. He underwent a colon operation in June 2021. The pontiff has often been seen using a wheelchair or a walking stick as a result of sciatic nerve pain and a knee problem.
Before his latest hospital admission, the pope maintained an intense schedule, especially with events related to the Catholic jubilee year.
Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, missed his traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday and the Vatican issued a written text instead.
In it, the pope thanked well-wishers for their prayers, saying: “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.”
