Pope Francis had a setback Friday during his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been for the last two weeks.
The Vatican said an “isolated breathing incident” caused the 88-year-old pontiff to inhale his own vomit, which required noninvasive mechanical ventilation.
Francis was conscious during the episode and was able to cooperate and participate in the maneuvers needed for his recovery.
The Vatican said the pope remained “alert and well-oriented.”
The news of Friday’s complication followed three days of reports of improvement in Francis’ medical condition.
The Vatican also announced Friday that Francis would not lead the Ash Wednesday service next week that marks the beginning of the Lenten season leading to Easter Sunday. A senior Vatican official will stand in for the pope.
Doctors said Thursday that Francis’ “prognosis remains guarded,” suggesting that they did not think he was out of danger.
Francis spent Thursday morning in respiratory therapy. Later, he prayed in the chapel of his private suite at Gemelli Hospital, where he also received the Eucharist. After that, the pope attended to Vatican work responsibilities.
Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, was admitted to Gemelli Feb. 14 with a case of bronchitis that soon worsened to double pneumonia. This hospital stay is his longest during his time as pope. He is prone to lung infections, having had part of a lung removed when he was a young man.
Some of the faithful who have journeyed to Rome to see the Vatican and possibly the pope have altered their plans and are now saying prayers for Francis outside the hospital for his full recovery.
Lili Iparea Fernandez, from La Cruz, Mexico, traveled to Rome with other pilgrims from Mexico, hoping to participate in Francis’ general audience this week. When that was canceled, she decided to pray for him outside the hospital instead.
“We firmly believe that the pope will recover because he is a very strong man,” she said Thursday. “So, I invite everyone to believe firmly, with certainty, with confidence, with hope, that the pope is going to be well.”
The pope’s illness has prompted Catholics to gather in Vatican City, his native Argentina and other areas of the world to hold prayer vigils.
Francis became pope in 2013 when his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
