VATICAN: Pope breathing without mask after respiratory attacks

Pope Francis was breathing without a mask on Tuesday after suffering two bouts of acute respiratory failure, the Vatican said as the leader of the world’s Catholics spent his 19th day in hospital with pneumonia. The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff, head of the Catholic Church since 2013, “slept all night long and continues to rest” following […]

Pope Francis was breathing without a mask on Tuesday after suffering two bouts of acute respiratory failure, the Vatican said as the leader of the world’s Catholics spent his 19th day in hospital with pneumonia.
The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff, head of the Catholic Church since 2013, “slept all night long and continues to rest” following Monday’s crisis, the Holy See said.
As of Tuesday morning, Francis had switched from an oxygen mask to high-flow oxygen delivered through a cannula, a plastic tube which tucks into the nostrils, a statement read.
He is continuing his treatment and respiratory physiotherapy, it added.
In its evening update on Monday, the Vatican stressed Francis’s prognosis remained “reserved” – an indication that doctors cannot predict the likely outcome of his condition.