Pope Marks A Week In Hospital With Pneumonia As One Question Looms | rssama.com

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis marked nan one-week constituent Friday successful his infirmary stay, getting up to eat meal arsenic nan 88-year-old pontiff continued fighting pneumonia and a analyzable respiratory infection, nan Vatican said.

The Vatican precocious Thursday reported a “slight improvement” successful his wide objective condition, pinch his bosom moving well. But it will still return immoderate clip to understand if nan various supplier therapies are working, and extracurricular doctors person said that regardless, betterment from pneumonia successful specified a vulnerable diligent could return up to 2 weeks.

According to nan one-line greeting bulletin Friday, “The nighttime went well, this greeting Pope Francis sewage up and had breakfast.”

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli infirmary connected Feb. 14 aft a case of bronchitis worsened; doctors later diagnosed a complex respiratory infection, involving bacteria, microorganism and different organisms and nan onset of pneumonia successful some lungs connected apical of asthmatic bronchitis. They prescribed “absolute rest.”

On Thursday, immoderate of Francis’ cardinals began responding to nan evident mobility circulating: whether Francis might resign if he becomes irreversibly sick and incapable to transportation on. Francis has said he would see it, aft Pope Benedict XVI “opened nan door” to popes retiring.

“Everything is possible,” said Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, nan archbishop of Marseille, France.

Another cardinal, Gianfranco Ravasi, was asked if Francis mightiness determine to travel successful nan footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI and measurement down if he becomes excessively ill. Benedict became the first pope successful 600 years to retire erstwhile he concluded successful 2013 that he didn’t person nan beingness spot to transportation connected nan rigors of nan globe-trotting papacy.

“There is nary mobility that if he (Francis) was successful a business wherever his expertise to person nonstop interaction (with people) arsenic he likes to do ... was compromised, past I deliberation he mightiness determine to resign,” Ravasi was quoted arsenic telling RTL 102.5 radio.

Francis confirmed successful 2022 that soon aft being elected pontiff he wrote a resignation missive successful lawsuit aesculapian problems impeded him from carrying retired his duties. There is nary proviso successful canon rule for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated.

But location is nary denotation Francis is successful anyhow incapacitated aliases is moreover considering stepping aside. During his infirmary stay, he has continued to work, including making bishop appointments. And besides, aft Benedict died, Francis made clear that he believed nan occupation of pope is for life.

Francis had an acute lawsuit of pneumonia successful 2023 and is prone to respiratory infections successful winter.

Doctors opportunity pneumonia successful specified a fragile, aged diligent makes him particularly prone to complications fixed nan trouble successful being capable to efficaciously expel fluid from his lungs. While his bosom is strong, Francis isn’t a peculiarly patient 88-year-old. He is overweight, isn’t physically active, uses a wheelchair because of bad knees, had portion of 1 lung removed arsenic a young man, and has admitted to being a not-terribly-cooperative diligent successful nan past.

Francis has had 2 longer hospital stays during his astir 12-year pontificate. He spent 10 days astatine Gemelli successful 2021 erstwhile he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed. In 2023, he was admitted for 9 days for room to region intestinal scar insubstantial and repair an abdominal hernia.

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Associated Press belief sum receives support done nan AP’s collaboration pinch The Conversation US, pinch backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.