Pope Francis suffers ‘breathing crisis’ amid battle with pneumonia

Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital after suffering an “isolated breathing crisis” that caused him to vomit. The Vatican reported that as the pontiff battles pneumonia, he was given non-invasive mechanical ventilation and recovered well.

The Vatican reported on Friday that a breathing issue caused “an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.”

The Holy Father started non-invasive mechanical ventilation right away, with a good gas exchange response, after undergoing bronchoaspiration. The Vatican continued, “The Holy Father remained focused and alert at all times.”

Under the condition of anonymity, a Vatican official confirmed to the Reuters news agency that the pope’s breathing problems did not last for very long on Friday.

The pope’s doctors are expected to evaluate the severity of the episode’s impact on his clinical condition, according to the official.

Francis, 88, has been in the hospital for two weeks after being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital with a “complex” respiratory infection brought on by two or more microbes.

He had a breathing attack over the weekend, but it seems like he’s been improving now that the Vatican has made more optimistic medical reports available.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, the head of the Vatican’s development office, claimed in an interview with La Stampa newspaper in Italy that Francis was improving but “slower than we would like.”

The Vatican announced on Friday that he would not lead the annual service to celebrate Lent, a Christian religious holiday, despite not specifying how long the pope will remain in the hospital.

The service, which will begin on March 5, also known as Ash Wednesday, will be led by a senior church official, according to the Vatican.