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The Pope needs your prayers.
Doctors to Perform Tracheotomy on Pope
By VICTOR SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, who appeared to have rebounded from the flu, suffered another breathing crisis and was rushed back to the hospital Thursday. Italian news agencies reported he was to undergo a tracheotomy, a procedure in which doctors puncture a hole in the throat and insert a breathing tube.
The frail, 84-year-old pontiff's sudden turn for the worse alarmed the faithful from Nigeria to the Philippines to St. Peter's Square, and raised more doubts about his ability to carry on.
"We have prayed for the pope to live as long as possible so we can still share our joy with him," said Zofia Gebala, a 73-year-old retiree, as she left a church in Wadowice, the pope's birthplace in southern Poland. "We are praying for him every day, for his well-being. But it's all in God's hands now."
The report by the news agencies ANSA and Apcom that doctors soon would perform a tracheotomy came hours after the pope was taken to the hospital shortly before 11 a.m. in an ambulance.
A tracheotomy would have serious consequences for the pope's abilities to carry out his duties. The operation would prevent him from speaking and probably require a long hospital stay. Anesthesia is also risky for a person of the pope's age and disabilities.
Outside medical experts said John Paul may have pneumonia. The Vatican (news - web sites) declined to respond to such speculation, saying only that the pope suffered from a "syndrome of influenza" and that a new medical bulletin would be issued Friday.
John Paul, who suffers from Parkinson's disease (news - web sites), had greeted pilgrims twice at the window of his studio at St. Peter's Square since his release from Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Feb. 10. On Wednesday, he made his longest public appearance — 30 minutes — since he fell ill more than three weeks ago.
With each successive appearance, he seemed a little stronger, a little more alert, and his voice rang out with greater clarity.
That made Thursday's reversal all the more shocking for the faithful.
"We are so scared because he has been sick in the past," said Vanessa Animo Bono, 32, a Roman Catholic being treated at Gemelli. "He is one of the few popes who is actually able to listen to people."
Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said John Paul was hospitalized for "necessary specialized assistance and further tests."
Vatican officials said the pope was suffering breathing problems similar to those that sent him to Gemelli on Feb. 1, and Italian news reports said the latest respiratory crisis was more severe than the first.
Papal officials played down the seriousness of the hospitalization, saying a patient of the pope's age is always at risk from the flu. Vatican aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pope had a fever and congestion in addition to the breathing problems.
Medical experts who have not examined the pope but are familiar with elderly Parkinson's patients say John Paul's symptoms appeared to be consistent with pneumonia. The Parkinson's and slumped posture would make it harder for the pope to keep pneumonia bacteria out of his lungs after an infection, in part by impairing his ability to cough.
"It appears the pope is suffering from pneumonia, likely a bacterial pneumonia, a serious problem for a man of his age with Parkinson's," said Dr. Barbara Paris, chairwoman of geriatrics and vice-chairwoman of medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.
While pneumonia can be life-threatening, experts note it can be treated successfully with antibiotics, especially if diagnosed early.
ANSA reported the pope was conscious when he arrived at Gemelli and that he was sitting upright in a stretcher. According to the report, people who saw him enter the hospital said his face looked "quite relaxed."
Chile's ambassador to the Holy See, Maximo Pacheco, told The Associated Press that the pope suffered a "bad relapse," citing a conversation he had with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
But outside experts said people don't get a relapse of influenza itself. Instead, flu can lead to a bacterial infection such as pneumonia or bronchitis, which is an inflammation of the tubes that carry air into the lungs, or to congestive heart failure, a treatable condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
It's also possible that the pope's earlier illness was not influenza but a flu-like infection, or that John Paul has caught a cold or genuine influenza if he didn't have it before or if he encountered a different strain of influenza virus.
Thursday's hospitalization was the pope's eighth since his election in 1978.
The pope's common touch and his willingness to travel to remote places, despite serious health problems that include knee and hip ailments, make him much loved among Catholics.
As with the previous hospitalization, which lasted 10 days, the latest was certain to fuel speculation about whether he could continue as pope, and what would happen if he was incapacitated.
In the clearest sign that the Vatican may be taking the eventuality of papal resignation seriously, Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Angelo Sodano declined to rule out the possibility during John Paul's first hospitalization this month, saying it was up to the pope's conscience.
In the pope's hometown of Wadowice, worshippers offered prayers at St. Mary's church, where the young Karol Wojtyla was baptized.
"This is a very emotional moment for me," said Zdzislaw Szczur. "His suffering really moves me. It's all God's providence now."
The news spread quickly, with the pope's illness flashed on television just as news shows were ending in the Philippines. Church officials relayed a prayer request to the faithful by text message on their cell phones.
Brigid Nolan, 73, saw the news on television in Dublin, Ireland, and walked to St. Columba's church. She lit a candle and offered a five-minute prayer for the pope and her own struggle with Parkinson's.
"I do draw inspiration from his own fight for life," she said. "He is suffering, but he's surviving, and more power to him. I get angry when people say he should quit. He should keep going for every minute God gives him."
Tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square expressed alarm.
"I'm sure he wants to return to the Vatican because he has spent so much time there," said Ornella Lisandrello, 29, an Italian physician. "I'm sure he would like to die at the Vatican."
Doctors to Perform Tracheotomy on Pope
By VICTOR SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, who appeared to have rebounded from the flu, suffered another breathing crisis and was rushed back to the hospital Thursday. Italian news agencies reported he was to undergo a tracheotomy, a procedure in which doctors puncture a hole in the throat and insert a breathing tube.
The frail, 84-year-old pontiff's sudden turn for the worse alarmed the faithful from Nigeria to the Philippines to St. Peter's Square, and raised more doubts about his ability to carry on.
"We have prayed for the pope to live as long as possible so we can still share our joy with him," said Zofia Gebala, a 73-year-old retiree, as she left a church in Wadowice, the pope's birthplace in southern Poland. "We are praying for him every day, for his well-being. But it's all in God's hands now."
The report by the news agencies ANSA and Apcom that doctors soon would perform a tracheotomy came hours after the pope was taken to the hospital shortly before 11 a.m. in an ambulance.
A tracheotomy would have serious consequences for the pope's abilities to carry out his duties. The operation would prevent him from speaking and probably require a long hospital stay. Anesthesia is also risky for a person of the pope's age and disabilities.
Outside medical experts said John Paul may have pneumonia. The Vatican (news - web sites) declined to respond to such speculation, saying only that the pope suffered from a "syndrome of influenza" and that a new medical bulletin would be issued Friday.
John Paul, who suffers from Parkinson's disease (news - web sites), had greeted pilgrims twice at the window of his studio at St. Peter's Square since his release from Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Feb. 10. On Wednesday, he made his longest public appearance — 30 minutes — since he fell ill more than three weeks ago.
With each successive appearance, he seemed a little stronger, a little more alert, and his voice rang out with greater clarity.
That made Thursday's reversal all the more shocking for the faithful.
"We are so scared because he has been sick in the past," said Vanessa Animo Bono, 32, a Roman Catholic being treated at Gemelli. "He is one of the few popes who is actually able to listen to people."
Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said John Paul was hospitalized for "necessary specialized assistance and further tests."
Vatican officials said the pope was suffering breathing problems similar to those that sent him to Gemelli on Feb. 1, and Italian news reports said the latest respiratory crisis was more severe than the first.
Papal officials played down the seriousness of the hospitalization, saying a patient of the pope's age is always at risk from the flu. Vatican aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pope had a fever and congestion in addition to the breathing problems.
Medical experts who have not examined the pope but are familiar with elderly Parkinson's patients say John Paul's symptoms appeared to be consistent with pneumonia. The Parkinson's and slumped posture would make it harder for the pope to keep pneumonia bacteria out of his lungs after an infection, in part by impairing his ability to cough.
"It appears the pope is suffering from pneumonia, likely a bacterial pneumonia, a serious problem for a man of his age with Parkinson's," said Dr. Barbara Paris, chairwoman of geriatrics and vice-chairwoman of medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.
While pneumonia can be life-threatening, experts note it can be treated successfully with antibiotics, especially if diagnosed early.
ANSA reported the pope was conscious when he arrived at Gemelli and that he was sitting upright in a stretcher. According to the report, people who saw him enter the hospital said his face looked "quite relaxed."
Chile's ambassador to the Holy See, Maximo Pacheco, told The Associated Press that the pope suffered a "bad relapse," citing a conversation he had with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
But outside experts said people don't get a relapse of influenza itself. Instead, flu can lead to a bacterial infection such as pneumonia or bronchitis, which is an inflammation of the tubes that carry air into the lungs, or to congestive heart failure, a treatable condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
It's also possible that the pope's earlier illness was not influenza but a flu-like infection, or that John Paul has caught a cold or genuine influenza if he didn't have it before or if he encountered a different strain of influenza virus.
Thursday's hospitalization was the pope's eighth since his election in 1978.
The pope's common touch and his willingness to travel to remote places, despite serious health problems that include knee and hip ailments, make him much loved among Catholics.
As with the previous hospitalization, which lasted 10 days, the latest was certain to fuel speculation about whether he could continue as pope, and what would happen if he was incapacitated.
In the clearest sign that the Vatican may be taking the eventuality of papal resignation seriously, Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Angelo Sodano declined to rule out the possibility during John Paul's first hospitalization this month, saying it was up to the pope's conscience.
In the pope's hometown of Wadowice, worshippers offered prayers at St. Mary's church, where the young Karol Wojtyla was baptized.
"This is a very emotional moment for me," said Zdzislaw Szczur. "His suffering really moves me. It's all God's providence now."
The news spread quickly, with the pope's illness flashed on television just as news shows were ending in the Philippines. Church officials relayed a prayer request to the faithful by text message on their cell phones.
Brigid Nolan, 73, saw the news on television in Dublin, Ireland, and walked to St. Columba's church. She lit a candle and offered a five-minute prayer for the pope and her own struggle with Parkinson's.
"I do draw inspiration from his own fight for life," she said. "He is suffering, but he's surviving, and more power to him. I get angry when people say he should quit. He should keep going for every minute God gives him."
Tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square expressed alarm.
"I'm sure he wants to return to the Vatican because he has spent so much time there," said Ornella Lisandrello, 29, an Italian physician. "I'm sure he would like to die at the Vatican."
