Pope restful, says Vatican

The Pope spent a restful night after being rushed to the hospital with breathing problems, the Vatican said today.

“I’m going home, the situation is calm,” said John Paul’s spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, after spending about an hour at the Rome hospital. He gave no details on the Pope’s condition but a medical bulletin was expected later.

The pontiff rested “quite well”, the news agency ANSA said, quoting a Vatican source. The news agency Apcom also reported that the pope had spent a “quiet night”.

The 84-year-old pontiff had already cancelled two days of Vatican engagements after going down with flu when his condition worsened last night.

He was rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties and an inflamed throat, the Vatican said.

Anxiety has been running high over the Pope’s Parkinson’s disease and other ailments, but spokesman Navarro-Valls said that the decision to admit him to hospital was “mainly a precaution”.

He noted that the Pope was not in intensive care but in the same tenth floor suite of rooms where he has been during several previous stays at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, about 2.5 miles from the Vatican.

The Pope has the flu and acute laryngeal tracheitis, he said, acknowledging John Paul had a “certain difficulty in breathing.”

Navarro-Valls, who has a medical degree, denied Italian news reports that John Paul had a CAT scan at the hospital. He said more tests will be done today.

The Vatican said in an earlier statement that the pope suffered from “an acute laryngeal tracheitis and larynx spasm crisis”.

Tracheitis, an inflammation of the trachea, requires hospitalisation and usually a breathing tube to keep the airway clear. The spasms are likely a complication from the respiratory illness he has had.

It’s possible his Parkinson’s disease has made his condition more serious and his breathing more laboured.

A close member of the pope’s staff, US Archbishop James Harvey, said John Paul had congestion and a slight fever during the day.

The teaching hospital is where John Paul was taken when he was shot in the abdomen by a would-be assassin in 1981, and where he has undergone several operations.

The frail Polish born pontiff’s Parkinson’s disease makes his speech difficult, and he also has chronic hip and knee problems.

He was last seen in public on Sunday, when he made his regular noontime appearance at his window overlooking St Peter’s Square and released a dove in a sign of peace. He appeared remarkably lively, but his words were barely audible.