Pope Francis experiences calm night after breathing crisis caused recovery setback

Pope Francis had a calm night with no more crises after suffering a bronchial crisis that prompted a sudden worsening of his health, the Vatican said in a short update on Saturday morning.

The pope woke up, had coffee and read newspapers, the Vatican said, and he continues to be able to move and sit in his armchair.

There’s also good news that he does not have an elevated white blood cell count, which could be a sign of infection, the Vatican said. 

Even so, the Vatican said in the update, he is not out of danger, and his prognosis is still guarded. 

On Friday, the pontiff experienced a “sudden worsening of the respiratory picture,” the Vatican said, when he had an “isolated crisis of bronchospasm,” which is when the muscles that line the airways in the lungs tighten.

The episode caused the 88-year-old pope to inhale vomit, the Vatican said in a statement. He was treated with noninvasive mechanical ventilation, including receiving varying amounts of supplemental oxygen to keep his levels balanced, and he had a good response, the Vatican said. 

“The Holy Father has always remained vigilant and oriented, collaborating in therapeutic maneuvers,” the Vatican said. “The prognosis therefore still remains reserved.”

This marks the fourth time the pope has been hospitalized since he took over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013.

He underwent significant abdominal surgery in 2021 and then had another procedure in 2023 to repair scar tissue and an abdominal hernia. He had been hospitalized briefly for treatment for pneumonia earlier that year.

Meanwhile, people have been gathering outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital to show their support, with many leaving messages and notes near a statue of former Pope John Paul II. Prayers have been coming from around the world.

Maria Ratai, a woman praying for the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, said “I pray every night for him, for his health because we need him not only we Italians but the world the world needs him because he’s a man of peace – and the world needs peace.”

Rev. Jacinto Bento, is a priest who was visiting Assisi on Saturday with a group of 30 Jubilee pilgrims from the Azores Islands.

“Every day we’re praying for the pope,” Bento said. “We’re very sad for his situation.”