VATICAN CITY 鈥 Pope Francis rested well overnight and is in a stable condition as he fights double pneumonia in hospital for the 18th day, the Vatican said on Monday.
The 88-year-old pontiff no longer requires the use of mechanical ventilation to breathe and has been without a fever, the Vatican said in its latest medical update on Sunday evening.
鈥淭he pope rested well all night,鈥 said a one-line note from the Vatican on Monday morning that did not provide more details. A full medical update on the pope鈥檚 condition is expected on Monday evening.
Francis was admitted to Rome鈥檚 Gemelli hospital on February 14 with severe respiratory problems that swiftly degenerated into double pneumonia – a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.
The Vatican鈥檚 updates on the pope鈥檚 condition have taken a more upbeat tone since Friday, when the pope suffered a constriction of his respiratory airways, akin to an asthma attack, that required him to be aspirated.
On Sunday evening, the Vatican said the pope鈥檚 condition was stable and he no longer required the use of what was described as 鈥渘on-invasive, mechanical ventilation鈥.
But the statement said doctors were keeping the pope鈥檚 prognosis as 鈥済uarded鈥 due to the complexity of his condition, meaning he is not out of danger.
Francis has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
He has not been seen in public since entering hospital, his longest absence from view since his papacy started in March 2013, and his doctors have not said how long his treatment might last. 鈥 Reuters
