Pope Francis had peaceful night after breathing crisis, Vatican says

Pope Francis had breakfast, drank coffee and read the newspapers on Saturday, Vatican sources said, the morning after he suffered a sudden episode of respiratory difficulty and was put on a breathing machine.

Francis had no further crises during a quiet night, and does not have a fever, the sources said, adding that he can eat solid foods.

But they said his medical picture remains complex and his prognosis has not been established after Friday’s setback, CNN reported.

The episode of breathing difficulty on Friday was complicated by vomiting, some of which the pope aspirated, the Vatican said. Medical staff treated the aspiration issue before putting him on mechanical ventilation, it said. A Vatican source told CNN that Francis is not intubated, but he is wearing a mask.

“The night passed peacefully, the pope is resting,” the Holy See Press Office said in its latest update on the pope’s health on Saturday morning local time. The Vatican added that the pontiff had “remained alert” during Friday’s episode.

A spokesperson later noted that the pope is not considered out of danger at this point. The Vatican source told CNN that doctors expect to know more about his condition in the next 24-48 hours.

Francis was first admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital two weeks ago, after being plagued by a string of lung-related medical struggles, including bronchitis and then pneumonia. His current hospitalization is his fourth, and now longest, stay since he became pope in 2013.

The pontiff has suffered from lung-related issues for much of his life. As a young man, he suffered from severe pneumonia and had part of one lung removed.