The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis suffered two new episodes of “acute respiratory insufficiency,” with a prognosis that “remains guarded.”
The pope’s condition is the result of “a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The Vatican said Francis, 88, underwent two bronchoscopies to remove the mucus and later resumed the use of noninvasive mechanical ventilation. He remains “alert, oriented and cooperative at all times,” the Vatican added.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Feb. 14 with a case of bronchitis that soon worsened to double pneumonia. This hospital stay is the longest during his time as pope. He is prone to lung infections, having had part of a lung removed when he was a young man.
Some of the faithful who have journeyed to Rome to see the Vatican and possibly the pope have altered their plans and are now saying prayers for Francis outside the hospital for his full recovery.
The pope's illness has also prompted Catholics to gather in Vatican City, his native Argentina and other areas of the world to hold prayer vigils.
Francis became pope in 2013 when his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.
