CNN
By Christopher Lamb, Sharon Braithwaite and Catherine Nicholls, CNN
Rome (CNN) — Pope Francis had breakfast, drank coffee and read the newspapers on Saturday, Vatican sources said, the morning after he suffered a sudden episode of respiratory difficulty the previous day that required high flow oxygen through a mask to help him breathe.
Francis had no further crises during a quiet night, and does not have a fever, the sources said, adding that he can eat solid foods. But they said his medical picture remains complex and he is still not considered out of danger, Vatican sources have emphasized.
The episode of breathing difficulty on Friday was complicated by vomiting, some of which the pope aspirated, the Vatican said. Medical staff treated the aspiration issue before putting him on an oxygen mask, it said. Francis is not intubated, a Vatican source told CNN.
“The night passed peacefully, the pope is resting,” the Holy See Press Office said in its latest update on the pope’s health on Saturday morning local time. The Vatican added that the pontiff had “remained alert” during Friday’s episode.
In a statement later on Saturday, the Vatican described his condition as stable, adding that he had no fever and continues to feed himself independently and undergoes respiratory therapy. Vatican sources emphasized his good mood, noting that the Pope can move and walk with occasional assistance, and that he prayed for about 20 minutes in the hospital’s chapel.
Francis was first admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital two weeks ago, after being plagued by a string of lung-related medical struggles, including bronchitis and then pneumonia. His current hospitalization is his fourth, and now longest, stay since he became pope in 2013.
The pontiff has suffered from lung-related issues for much of his life. As a young man, he suffered from severe pneumonia and had part of one lung removed.
The Vatican has been releasing twice daily updates on the pope’s health.
The Argentinian leader’s schedule has been cleared to accommodate his intensive medical treatment.
The pope is not expected to lead the Angelus prayer on Sunday, for the third week in a row.
He also will not lead next week’s Ash Wednesday service, marking the start of Lent, for only the second time in his 12-year papacy, according to the Vatican. A cardinal is expected to lead the service instead.
On Friday night while praying for the pope, Argentinian Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández said: “Certainly it is close to the Holy Father’s heart that our prayers be not only for him, but also for all those who, in this particular dramatic and suffering moment of the world, bear the heavy burden of war, sickness, and poverty.”
This story has been updated.
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CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Barbie Latza Nadeau contributed to this reporting.
