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Rome – Pope Francis has provided the first face-to-face update on the status of the pope in a month, indicating that he has made good progress in his fight against double pneumonia.
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Saturday night’s briefing was the first since February 21, when Francis, 88, was taken to Gemelli Hospital a week later after several respiratory crises that left him in critical condition.
In another development, the Vatican announced that Francis will appear on Sunday morning to bless his followers in the 10th floor suite of the hospital. Francis released an audio message on March 6, with the Vatican circulating his photos on March 16, but Sunday’s blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted to hospital on February 14, as it has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year-old pope.
The Argentine Pope, who suffers from chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and removes a portion of the lung at a young age and is admitted after the condition of bronchitis worsens.
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Doctors first diagnosed complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory infections, and shortly thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low platelets and renal failure, and all of them were resolved after two transfusions.
The worst setback began on February 28, when Francis experienced an acute cough and inhaled vomit, asking him to use a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. In the next few days, he suffered two more respiratory crises, which required doctors to manually inhale mucus, at which point he began to sleep in a ventilated mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluid.
He never lost consciousness, and the doctor reported that he was smart and cooperative.
The Vatican Media Office reported that over the past two weeks, he has stabilized and registered for a slight improvement. He no longer needs to wear a ventilated mask at night, nor needs to cut his reliance on high flows of oxygen during the day.
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