Friday, Pope Francis underwent a bronchial spasm which led him to breathe voma, requiring non -invasive mechanical ventilation, said the Vatican by relaying a reverse in his long battle of two weeks against double pneumonia.
The 88 -year -old Pope replied well, with a good level of gas exchange, and remained aware and alerts at any time, said the Vatican in his late update.
Development has marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly optimistic reports of doctors dealing Francis at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome since February 14.
The episode, which occurred in the early afternoon, led to a “sudden worsening of the respiratory image”. The doctors decided to keep their prognosis as guarded.
The Vatican has already made alternative plans for the ashes Wednesday next week, which makes it a long way to come. Cardinal Angelo de Donatis, head of the Vatican and former vicar of Rome, will chair the ceremony and the procession of March 5 which inaugurates the solemn lens season of the church leading to Easter in April.
Earlier Friday, Francis had spent the morning alternating high flows of additional oxygen with a mask and praying in the chapel. He had had breakfast, read the newspapers of the day and received respiratory physiotherapy, said the Vatican.
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Doctors have not resumed referring to Francis in a “critical state”, which has been absent from their statements for three days.
Prayers continued to flock
In Mexico City, a few dozen people gathered on Thursday evening at the cathedral to pray for the restoration of Francis.
“He is part of the family,” said Araceli Guérrez, who cherishes the moment when she saw the pope during her trip to the country nearly 100 million Catholics in 2016. “This is why we feel so worried about him.”
María Teresa Sánchez, who visited Colombia with her sister, said that she was still feeling close to Francis – the first Latin American pope.
“It’s like having a parent in superiors, with God,” she said. “He did so much for religion; She is such a humble person.
Calendar to come in question
Despite its improvements, the short -term event calendar of Francis has changed: the Vatican canceled an audience of the holy year planned for Saturday, and he remained to see if Francis would jump his blessing from Midi on Sunday for the third consecutive week. On Wednesday of the ashes now delegated to a cardinal, the next major events come during Holy and Easter week, which fell this year on April 20.
In recent years, when Francis has fought against bronchitis and flu in winter, he has slowed down his participation in Ash Wednesday and Holy Week events, which call on the Pope to be outside in the Cold Head services, participating in processions and presiding over prayers during the solemn period during which the faithful commemorates the crucifixion and the resurrection of the faithful.
Beyond that, Francis has some major events to come that he probably hopes to keep so good enough. On April 27, he had to canonize Carlo Acutis, considered the first holy millennium and digital. The Vatican considers the Italian adolescent, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, an inspiration for young Catholics.
Another important appointment is the commemoration of May 24 of the 1700th anniversary of the Nica Council, the first ecumenical council of Christianity. The spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians in the world, Patriarch Bartholomew I invited Francis to join him in Iznik, Turkey, to commemorate the birthday, which he called an important sign of reconciliation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Before becoming sick, Francis said he hoped to go, although the Vatican did not confirm the trip.
–Maria Hernandez contributed from Mexico City.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press
