https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c789l779p3xo

 

Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both his lungs and his condition remains "complex", the Vatican says.

The 88-year-old has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

"The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon... demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy," the Vatican said.

It said lab tests, a chest X-ray and the Pope's clinical condition "continue to present a complex picture".

Despite this, the Vatican said the pontiff remained in "good spirits" and spent the day "reading, resting and praying".

Pope Francis also expressed his gratitude to well-wishers and asked them to "pray for him".

Before his admission last week, the Pope had bronchitis symptoms for several days and had delegated officials to read prepared speeches at events.

 

Complex picture is maybe a nice way to put it but a very serious situation for an 88 yr old man

Yeh never looks good when they say that about an 88 yo.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g0x3p1kgl

 

The Pope is now in critical condition and having regular blood transfusions. No regular human would survive this situation with his history and age but he has obviously the best possible things given it will be interesting to see if they can save him but it’s a tough ask

I mean I enjoyed Conclave, but it's marketing campaign is getting a bit out of control now.

^Would be a boon for its significance if its Oscar campaign is accompanied by a real-life conclave.

 

Hoping the Pope pulls through as long as possible though, though the reporting suggests his time may be short; you aren't likely to get many better Popes than Francis, someone who from my outsider view has been an excellent steward for the Catholic church and its response to humanitarian disasters these last few years.

Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for two weeks, has had an "isolated" breathing crisis in hospital, the Vatican has said.

It led to an episode of vomiting with inhalation and "sudden worsening of his respiratory condition" on Friday following the "bronchospasm".

"The Holy Father was promptly bronchoaspirated and began non-invasive mechanical ventilation, with a good response to gas exchange," the Vatican said in an evening update.

The 88-year-old remains alert, a statement added.

In other words has been placed on a ventilator

BBC News

Pope has 'isolated' breathing crisis in hospital, Vatican...

The Pope suffers a sudden worsening of his respiratory condition, the Vatican says.

Now taken off a ventilator and described as stable. If he survives it’ll have to be described as a miracle

Pneumonia in both lungs? This is how my nan (my mum's mum) died.

55 minutes ago, DanielsAloud said:

Pneumonia in both lungs? This is how my nan (my mum's mum) died.

Yeah usually it’s like a secondary thing. So you’re ill with something else then the pneumonia kills you. In both lungs at 88 with lung issues is almost impossible to survive but we shall see if he pulls through.

The latest update is that he suffered a setback “Earlier today, the Holy Father had two episodes of acute respiratory failure caused by significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and subsequent bronchospasm.”

And has now been put back on a non invasive ventilator

I’m offended that they are choosing science over good old prayer that always works.

A MIRACLE

Pope Francis Came Near Death in Hospital, His Doctor Says

In an interview, the leader of Pope Francis’s medical team called it “a miracle” that the 88-year-old pontiff left the hospital, but said he needs to change his vigorous habits, at least for a while, to recover

The pope’s doctors did not think he was going to make it.

“It’s terrible,” Pope Francis gasped during a breathing crisis last month. The pope, his hand bruised with needle pricks and his oxygen saturation dipping to a dangerously low 78 during his long hospitalization, acknowledged in a failing voice that he might die. He held his doctor’s hand.

Francis had ruled out intubation, which would mean being kept unconscious, the leader of the medical team, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, said in an interview. So his doctors decided to treat the pneumonia in both his lungs with a last-ditch barrage of drugs that risked damaging his organs.

The pope’s closest aides had tears in their eyes as doctors asked the pope’s personal nurse, empowered to make life-or-death decisions, for permission to go ahead with more aggressive treatment. He consented and, ultimately, the pope responded positively.

Even so, the worst had not yet passed. Less than a week later, Francis regurgitated some food and started choking. The doctors, fearing he might die on the spot, immediately suctioned his airway but worried that the inhalation would aggravate his deeply infected lungs. His chief doctor worried all was lost.

But it was not.

On Sunday 38 days after he entered the Agostino Gemelli hospital, Dr. Alfieri discharged the leader of the Roman Catholic Church to return to the Vatican. He implored his patient, who had resisted going to the hospital in the first place, to rest and convalesce so as not to waste the chance he had been given.

“It was a miracle that he left the hospital,” said Dr. Alfieri, adding that the pope was now “not in danger.”

Somehow the Pope goes on. His Easter plans unclear but the Pope has survived against all odds

How do you get pneumonia?

Just announced that he has now died

Jaysus, he was in the pope mobile yday during Easter Sunday!

and just hours after meeting JD Vance :o

RIP The Pope

As Buzzjack’s Catholic, absolutely devastating news for me to wake up to. My cousin and her girlfriend were in Rome for Francis’ Easter Sunday address, so will have been some of the last people to see the current Pope in person.

When it comes to Popes, it usually won’t be until years and decades later until we can take in his full impact on the world, but for now he’ll be known for his focus on the poor, being the first non-European pope in a millennia, and making political leaders all across the political spectrum reflect on their actions.

There’ll be a conclave in a few weeks to decide the new pope, which I will be following with great interest.

I’m a Catholic too but not a practicing one. In fact I hate the Catholic Church.

Wild, they wheeled him out yesterday!

How do they pick a new pope again?

From the outside, an excellent and kindly pope, the Catholic Church has had a great representative for the last 12 years and we can only hope the next is as focused on the topical issue of inequality across the world. RIP.

Surviving to make one last appearance at Easter may well have been on his mind.

Will also be interested to see what happens at the conclave.

2 minutes ago, Steve201 said:

I’m a Catholic too but not a practicing one. In fact I hate the Catholic Church.

Wild, they wheeled him out yesterday!

How do they pick a new pope again?

There’ll be a conclave in the next few weeks, where all cardinals below the age of 80 meets up to elect the new pope. The cardinals will vote until one candidate gets a 2/3 majority of the votes. The number of cardinals in the conclave should be capped at 120, but given at the moment there are more that 130 “papible” cardianals, I’m note sure if that means that some of these will not take part in the vote.