Pope Showing Signs of Recovery Experiences Temporary Breathing Difficulty Again: "Under Careful Observation"

Revealed: "Assisted Breathing Device Was Used"

Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a long time due to pneumonia, showed signs of recovery but experienced temporary respiratory distress.

Pope Francis waved to the crowd while delivering his Easter message at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on January 31 (local time). On this day, Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 28th (local time), the Vatican released a statement saying, "This afternoon, the Pope experienced isolated respiratory distress accompanied by vomiting due to bronchial spasms," and added, "He received inhalation treatment to remove the vomit and started non-invasive artificial respiration." Isolated respiratory distress refers to a non-continuous, single occurrence of breathing difficulty.

A Vatican official added that the Pope's respiratory distress did not last long. However, it is presumed that medical staff used an oxygen mask covering the nose and mouth, which does not cause injury to the body, to improve his symptoms.

Earlier, the Pope had been suffering from bronchitis since the beginning of this month and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on the 14th. The 88-year-old Pope has been hospitalized longer than at any time since his election in 2013. On the 19th, he was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. On the 22nd, he showed asthmatic respiratory distress symptoms, and the Vatican described his condition as "serious."

Afterwards, the Pope's health seemed to improve gradually. Until the morning of that day, the Vatican announced that the Pope had a peaceful night. Among Vatican officials, there was even a sigh of relief that the Pope had passed the critical phase. However, news came that evening that the Pope experienced respiratory distress. This hospitalization has lasted for fifteen days as of that day. Major foreign media, citing Vatican sources, explained, "Medical staff are currently assessing the Pope's condition and will carefully monitor his progress over the next 24 to 48 hours."

Pope Francis has had several health issues over the past two years. Since having part of his lung removed due to pleurisy in his youth, the Pope has suffered from chronic respiratory diseases caused by complex infections of bacteria and viruses during winter seasons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.