Pope Francis Has Serious Health Issues Following Two Respiratory Failure Episodes

Pope Francis, 88, is still dependent on oxygen assistance and is in a stable but critical condition following respiratory failure.

Following two instances of “acute respiratory failure” on Monday afternoon, Pope Francis is on alert, according to the Vatican.

According to a Holy See update, the Pope was alert the entire time, but doctors had to step in to remove mucus from his lungs.

The Vatican claimed that although the 88-year-old pope is still “alert, focused, and cooperative,” he has resumed using a ventilator and oxygen mask to help with his breathing.

This is the third significant decline since the 88-year-old pope was hospitalized for pneumonia eighteen days ago.

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis experienced a vomiting episode and a “isolated” respiratory issue on Friday.

Holy See officials said on Sunday that the Pope no longer needed “non-invasive mechanical ventilation, only high-flow oxygen therapy,” indicating that he responded well to oxygen therapy.

Pope Francis has begun mechanical ventilation in the wake of Monday’s events.

Pope Francis has been unable to offer his customary Angelus prayer in person for three weeks in a row due to his sickness; instead, the Vatican has published his written remarks.

The note was composed “in the past few days,” according to officials, and was sent from his hospital room in Rome. The Pope praised his medical staff for their care and the public for their prayers.

Additionally, he will be absent from this Wednesday’s mass and procession, which commemorate the start of Lent, the six-week season preceding Easter.

As they made their way across the cobbles to the Basilica, hundreds of Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Monday for an eighth evening to pray for the Pope’s health. Many of them were carrying rosary beads.

The crowd was led by an American cardinal and included a mix of Catholic pilgrims here for a Jubilee year and priests and nuns from Rome.

Javier, a Romanian priest, expressed what many people in the square were feeling when he said, “I come every night to pray, but this night I am pretty worried.” “There is still hope, but it doesn’t seem promising.”

“We really like Francis, so it’s a shame that it looks bad,” Patricia, a Spanish Catholic from Toledo, remarked.

She, her spouse, and their small daughter were participating in the prayers.

“He’s actually made the church more welcoming to a lot of people, including LGBT people. I believe that in order to halt the transition, they will next search for a more conservative pope.

Additionally, Catholics have been going to the Gemelli hospital in Rome to offer prayers for him in the hopes that he may visit the window, as has previously occurred.

The Pope’s condition is stable, according to the Vatican, but he is still too ill to even welcome the gathering below.

Following days of breathing problems, the Pope was brought to the hospital on February 14.

After receiving treatment for bronchitis, it was determined that he had pneumonia in both lungs.

After experiencing pleurisy, an inflammation of the lungs, as a young man and having a partial lung removed, the pontiff is especially vulnerable to pneumonia, an infection of the lungs that can be brought on by bacteria, viruses, or fungus.

The Pope’s situation is still complicated, his physicians are still cautious, and he is still in danger, Vatican sources emphasize.