VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis had an “isolated breathing crisis” in hospital on Friday, the Vatican said, in a setback as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.

Francis, 88, has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for two weeks, after being admitted on Feb 14 with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.

“This afternoon ... he experienced an isolated bronchospasm crisis,” said an update about the pontiff’s condition.

The pope, it said, also had “an episode of vomiting with aspiration and a sudden worsening of the respiratory condition”. He then received the help of “non-invasive mechanical ventilation”, it said.

Pope Francis, said the statement, “has remained alert and well-oriented” and is continuing his treatment.

Friday’s news followed three days of more positive updates, with the Vatican saying previously that the pope had been showing a “slight improvement” as he fights what has been termed a “complex” infection caused by two or more micro-organisms.

A Vatican official said the pope’s breathing issue on Friday did not last a long time.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2025