Sunday saw Pope Francis' condition described as 'stable' by the Vatican, in what will likely be a relief to his doctors as they look to assess the impact of the Pope's respiratory crisis on Friday.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis’ condition remains “stable” as of Sunday evening, as he remained free from fever and any breathing crises over the weekend, following Friday's sudden respiratory and vomiting crisis.
On Sunday evening, the Holy See Press Office stated that the Pope remained without fever during the day, and in an improvement over Saturday he no longer required the non-invasive mechanical ventilation – the full face oxygen mask – which he had been using Friday and Saturday.
However, his prognosis still remains guarded, as it has been for over a week.
The full statement read:
The Holy Father's clinical condition has remained stable also today; the Pope does not require non-invasive mechanical ventilation, but only high-flow oxygen therapy; he is apyretic.In consideration of the complexity of his clinical condition, the prognosis remains uncertain.
This morning the Holy Father participated in Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during his stay in the hospital, and so he alternated rest with prayer.
For the third week running, Francis did not read his Angelus address though it was published online. Earlier this morning he received Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Peña Parra at the Gemelli Hospital.
On Friday Francis experienced a sudden attack of “bronchospasm” resulting in his inhalation of vomit. This lead to the use of “noninvasive mechanical ventilation,” and marked a significant setback in his treatment.
Doctors had said that the full impact might only be known up to 48 hours later, namely by Sunday evening. With Francis' condition remaining "stable" and seemingly requiring less oxygen than on Saturday, it appears that the impact of Friday's crisis has been – so far – limited.
The Pope was taken to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Friday, February 14, for bronchitis, and since then was diagnosed with double pneumonia in what was described as a “complex” medical scenario, and subsequently a "critical" state. He is now no longer described as being "critical" though his longer term diagnosis has not been released.
Last Sunday he presented with signs of “mild” kidney failure, though in subsequent days doctors said they were not concerned by the symptoms.
It has become the longest hospital stay of his pontificate, with the previous longest being his 10-day stay in hospital during the summer of 2021.
(For full background, see LifeSiteNews’ coverage here.)
