Condition stable again

Pope was able to breathe on his own again on Sunday

Pope Francis has never been in hospital for so long.

(Bild: Andrew Medichini/AP)

After a deterioration on Friday, the Pope's state of health is now "stable". On Sunday, Francis no longer needed to be ventilated by non-invasive mechanical means - and was able to eat breakfast on his own.

He had only undergone oxygen therapy, according to the Vatican bulletin published on Sunday evening. Francis has no fever, but the prognosis remains guarded in view of the "complex clinical picture", it added.

The 88-year-old spent a "quiet night" at the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, where he has been receiving treatment since February 14, the Vatican announced on Sunday morning. The Pope had breakfast with coffee, read newspapers and continued his therapy. He attended Sunday Mass with the people treating him and prayed, the Vatican reported. Since Friday, Francis has not suffered any further respiratory crises. In the Angelus prayer, the Pope thanked the doctors who are treating him.

Longest hospital stay to date
The pontiff has now been in hospital longer than ever before. On March 13, it was twelve years ago that the Argentinian Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope. He was appointed to succeed the German Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Church. He is now the second oldest pope in history.

The Pope once again published a text for the Angelus prayer on Sunday, as was the case on the previous two Sundays. "I send you these thoughts again from the hospital, where, as you know, I have been for several days, accompanied by the doctors and medical staff, whom I thank for the attention they are giving me. I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden in frailty, because it is in these moments that we learn to trust the Lord even more. At the same time, I thank God because he gives me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people," Pope Francis wrote.