This browser does not support the Video element.
Vatican: Pope Francis had a bronchial spasm
Pope Francis suffered a bronchial spasm on Friday that resulted in him breathing in vomit, requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying a setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pope responded well, with a good level of gas exchange, and remained conscious and alert at all times, the Vatican said in its late update. The development marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat reports from doctors treating Francis at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14.
Pope Francis suffered a bronchial spasm which resulted in him breathing in vomit, the Vatican said on Friday.
Doctors had to implement non-invasive mechanical ventilation but the pope responded well to the treatment.
Conscious and alert
As the 88-year-old pope continued treatment, the development of the spasm and subsequent complication marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat health reports.
What we know:
The episode, which occurred in the early afternoon, resulted in a "sudden worsening of the respiratory picture."
Earlier Friday, Francis had spent the morning alternating high flows of supplemental oxygen with a mask and praying in the chapel. He had had breakfast, read the day's newspapers and was receiving respiratory physiotherapy, the Vatican said.
What we don't know:
Doctors decided to keep the pope’s prognosis as guarded.
RELATED: Pope Francis improves slightly, resumes some work, Vatican says
A picture taken at night shows the statue of John Paul II at the Gemelli University Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia, in Rome on Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
Future events changed
Several future events that the pope was meant to attend have either been altered or canceled, signaling that the holy leader had a long road of recovery ahead.
What's next:
The Vatican has already made alternative plans for Ash Wednesday next week.
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official and former vicar of Rome, will preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church's solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April.
A Holy Year audience that was scheduled for Saturday has been canceled and it still remained to be seen if Francis would skip his Sunday noon blessing for the third week in a row.
Beyond that, Francis has a few major events coming up that he presumably would hope to keep if well enough.
On April 27, he is due to canonize Carlo Acutis, considered to be the first millennial and digital-era saint. The Vatican considers the Italian teenager, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, an inspiration for young Catholics.
Another important appointment is the May 24 commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I, has invited Francis to join him in Iznik, Turkey, to commemorate the anniversary, which he has called an important sign of reconciliation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Before he got sick, Francis said he hoped to go, though the Vatican hasn’t confirmed the trip.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.