Pope Francis remained stable throughout the day on Sundays and no longer needed to use mechanical ventilation to breathe, said the Vatican, as a sign of progress while 88 -year -old pontiff with double pneumonia.
Francis has been at Gemelli Hospital for more than two weeks. It was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection which sparked other complications.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father remained stable throughout the day,” said the last detailed update in the state of the pontiff on Sunday. The pope, he said, no longer needed to use what the Vatican called “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” but continued to receive oxygen via a small hose under his nose.
The press release indicates that the Pope had not had a fever on Sunday. He said doctors maintained his prognosis as “kept” due to “the complexity of the clinical image”, which means that the Pope is not out of danger.
Francis, who spent his 17th night in the hospital, met earlier Sunday with two Vatican officials and thanked the sympathizers for their prayers and their support in a written message.
“I would like to thank you for prayers,” said Francis in a note published by the Vatican in place of his usual Sunday prayer with pilgrims, which the pope could not lead for the third consecutive week. “I feel all your affection and proximity and … I have the impression that I am” transported “and supported by all the people of God,” said the message.
Continuous treatment
Francis also met at the hospital on Sunday with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the manager of the second number of the Vatican, and the Paroline deputy, said spokesperson for Vatican Matteo Bruni, without giving more details on the meeting.
The pope, who is known to work himself in exhaustion, continued to direct the Vatican during his stay in the hospital and met the Paroline for the last time and the deputy at the Gemelli on February 24.
An official of the Vatican, who did not want to be appointed because he was not allowed to discuss the health of the Pope, said earlier Sunday than Francis ate normally and moved to his hospital room when he continued his treatment.
Francis has experienced several episodes of poor health in the past two years and is subject to pulmonary infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of a lung removed.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection of the two lungs that can ignite them and scars, which makes breathing difficult. The Vatican said that the Pope’s infection was “complex” and had been caused by two or more microorganisms.
The pope has not been seen in public since he entered the hospital, his longest absence since his papacy started in March 2013, and his doctors have not said how long his treatment could last.
