Pope Francis Faces New Respiratory Difficulties
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis experienced two new episodes of acute respiratory distress on Monday and has been placed back on noninvasive ventilation.
According to the Vatican, Francis aspirated a “copious” amount of mucus, marking another setback in his over two-week struggle against a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia.
A later update from the Vatican indicated that a “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs and bronchial spasms triggered the episodes. The Vatican stated that “Two bronchoscopies were performed, necessitating the removal of copious secretions.”
Francis was reported to be alert, oriented, and cooperating with medical staff. His prognosis remains uncertain.
Earlier on Monday, Francis issued a new message from the hospital as Vatican officials implored him to make his voice heard following his absence from public view for more than two weeks during his recovery.
From Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he remains in stable condition, the 88-year-old Francis criticized the “progressive irrelevance” of international bodies in addressing war. The Vatican reported that he was awake, had eaten breakfast, and was undergoing therapies after a “good night’s sleep.”
The Vatican has not released any photos or videos of Francis since his hospitalization on Feb. 14 due to a complex lung infection, marking his longest absence during his 12-year papacy.
The Vatican has been providing brief medical updates twice daily and mentioned that Francis has started signing documents “From Gemelli Polyclinic,” signaling his continued work.
The Vatican has defended Francis’ decision to recover privately. However, on Monday, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, a close friend of Francis within the Vatican, urged him to speak out, emphasizing the world’s need for his voice.
Speaking after a press conference to launch the annual assembly of his Pontifical Academy for Life, Paglia stated, “We need men like him who are truly universal and not only one-sided.” The assembly’s theme this year is “The End of the World?”
In a message to the assembly dated Feb. 26, Francis lamented the increasing ineffectiveness of international organizations in addressing global threats, attributing it to “short-sighted attitudes concerned with protecting particular and national interests.”
This is a recurring theme for Francis, who has also consistently advocated for peace between Russia and Ukraine while upholding the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality. He has similarly attempted to strike a balance in addressing Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Even Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, a Vatican ambassador not particularly close to Francis and Pope Benedict XVI’s longtime secretary, stated that the faithful needed to hear the Pope’s voice amidst the ongoing war in Europe. After publishing a memoir critical of Francis in 2023, Gaenswein was sent to the Baltics as the Vatican ambassador.
La Repubblica quoted Gaenswein as saying, “Pope Francis’ voice is of vital importance for all the world because he’s the only authority who speaks of peace, who condemns war, all the wars under way starting with Ukraine.”
Francis’ 17-night hospitalization does not surpass the record set by St. John Paul II, who had numerous extended hospital stays over a quarter century.
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