Pope Francis “Signal” after respiratory failure, says Vatican

Pope Francis is alert after having suffered two episodes of “acute respiratory failure,” the Vatican said.

Doctors were forced to intervene to clear the mucus from the pope’s lungs, said in an update from the Holy See, although he was said to be on the alert all the time.

The 88-year-old Pontif resumed the use of an oxygen mask and fan to help his breathing, but there remains a “warning, focused and cooperatively,” the Vatican said.

This is already the third major decline, as 88-year-old Ponif was admitted to hospital 18 days ago with pneumonia.

On Friday, Pope Francis suffered an “isolated” respiratory crisis involving vomiting, Vatican said.

Holy throne updates report that it responded well to oxygen therapy, with Vatican officials saying that on Sunday the Pope no longer requires “non -invasive mechanical ventilation but only high -flow oxygen therapy”.

After the episodes on Monday, Pope Francis resumed this mechanical ventilation.

His illness means that Pope Francis failed to personally convey his traditional Angelus prayer For three weeks in a row, and instead the Vatican has published its written comments.

The officials said the text sent from his hospital room in Rome was written “in the last few days”. In it, the Pope thanked the people for their prayers and thanked his medical team for their care.

Catholics have already visited the Jameli hospital in Rome to pray for him – hoping he would come to the window as it happened in the past.

But although the Vatican recently described the pope’s condition as stable, he remains too ill even to greet the crowd below.

The Pope was admitted to hospital on February 14th After testing difficulties in breathing for several days.

For the first time, he was treated for bronchitis before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

Pontiphic is particularly susceptible to pneumonia, lung infection, which can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, after it has become infected with pleurisy – inflammation of the lungs – as a young person and there was partial removal of the lungs.

Vatican sources emphasize, as all the time, that the pope’s condition remains complicated – his doctors remain cautious – and he is not out of danger.