Francis off mechanical ventilation entirely, signaling he's overcome
risks from respiratory crisis
[March 03, 2025]
By NICOLE WINFIELD and PAOLO SANTALUCIA
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis remained in stable condition and didn’t need
any mechanical ventilation Sunday, the Vatican said. It was a sign that
he had overcome the possible complications from a respiratory crisis
Friday and that his breathing function overall was improving as he
recovers from pneumonia.
The 88-year-old pope did continue to receive high flow supplemental
oxygen after Friday’s coughing episode, which sparked fears of a new
lung infection. Doctors in their late Sunday update said Francis
remained stable but again referred to the complexity of his overall
condition and kept his prognosis at guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of
danger.
Francis, who has been in the hospital since Feb. 14, rested, prayed in
his private chapel and participated in Mass after a morning visit from
the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his chief
of staff, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra. The content of their talks wasn't
known, but even when at the Vatican, Francis meets at least weekly with
them.
He again skipped his weekly noon blessing to avoid even a brief public
appearance from the hospital. Instead, the Vatican distributed a message
written by the pope from Gemelli Hospital in which he thanked his
doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, and prayed
again for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.
“From here, war appears even more absurd,” Francis said in the message,
which he drafted in recent days. Francis said he was living his
hospitalization as an experience of profound solidarity with people who
are sick and suffering everywhere.
“I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden within frailty,
because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to
trust in the Lord,” Francis said in the text. “At the same time, I thank
God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the
condition of so many sick and suffering people.”
Signs point to a recovery
Many signs indicated he was improving, especially after a respiratory
crisis on Friday afternoon that resulted in him inhaling vomit during a
coughing fit and raising the possibility of new infection. Doctors
aspirated the vomit and put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation, a
mask that pumps oxygen into the lungs.
He used the ventilation on Saturday, alternating it with just
supplemental oxygen, and by Sunday no longer needed it.
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Catholic faithful attend a nightly rosary prayer for the health of
Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 2,
2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Doctors also reported he had no fever or raised white blood cell
levels, which would have indicated his body was fighting a new
infection. The doctors had said they needed 24 to 48 hours after
Friday's coughing episode to determine if there were any negative
impacts on Francis' overall condition. The passage of time and
positive reports Sunday suggested he had overcome the episode
successfully.
The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung
disease and was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 after a bout of
bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both
lungs.
Prayers continued to pour in
Francis’ hospitalization has come as the Vatican is marking its Holy
Year, drawing pilgrims to Rome from all over. Many have added a
pilgrimage destination to their itineraries so they can pray for
Francis at the Gemelli hospital, which is around a 20-minute drive
from the Vatican, longer in rush hour or on public transport.
The Rev. Riccardo Fumagalli had accompanied a group of young people
from Milan to Rome for the Jubilee and would have attended Francis'
Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on Sunday if he had delivered
it as usual. Instead, they went to Gemelli.
“It seemed good to us to come here to express our closeness,
especially of these teenagers, to be close to the Holy Father to
pray for him, to pray for this moment of illness,” he said.
Cancer patient Antonino Cacace was also arriving Sunday at Gemelli
from Milan for his own treatment, saying he has to undergo surgery
in the coming days and was counting on Francis' prayers.
“I am glad the pope is giving me help," he said. "I am on the ninth
(floor) and he is on the 10th (floor). I hope to meet him and see
him,” he said.
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