Pope may have bacterial pneumonia says doctor

Ailing Pope John Paul II was rushed to hospital for the second time in a month today and a medical expert suggested he is suffering from bacterial pneumonia – a serious illness in an 84-year-old man.

A Vatican official said John Paul had the same symptoms of the breathing crisis that sent him to Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic on February 1 but that a medical bulletin would not be released until tomorrow

Medical experts who have not examined the Pope but are familiar with elderly Parkinson’s disease patients said his symptoms appeared to be consistent with pneumonia.

“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 Centre in New York.

Whatever the illness, it is bound to revive the speculation that the Pope might resign.

That debate was fuelled when he was in hospital earlier this month and Cardinal Angelo Sodano the Vatican’s number two, declined to rule out resignation, saying it was "up to the Pope’s conscience”.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said John Paul was taken to hospital for “necessary specialised assistance and further tests.” He was taken by ambulance at 10.45am (9.45am Irish time), officials said.

Vatican officials played down the seriousness of the illness, saying a patient of the Pope’s age is always at risk from flu. The Pope also has Parkinson’s disease and crippling knee and hip ailments.

But aides said the Pope had a fever, congestion and had suffered a recurrence of breathing problems.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the Pope arrived conscious at Gemelli in a private ambulance. He was taken inside in a stretcher, the report said, and quoted people who saw him enter the hospital as saying his face looked “quite relaxed”.

A medical health bulletin was to be issued tomorrow morning, the Vatican said.

It is the eighth time the Pope has been in hospital since his election in 1978.

The Pope’s breathing problems can complicate the swallowing difficulties characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.

The lack of co-ordination of the muscles involved make it easy for food or saliva to get into the lungs. That can cause pneumonia and is one of the most common causes of death among Parkinson’s patients.

Doctors sometimes bypass the throat by inserting a feeding tube directly into the stomach, both to help patients who have difficulty eating and to help prevent food going down to the lungs.

The muscle problems and the Pope’s stooped posture also could make it difficult for him to head off infections by mustering a powerful enough cough to shake mucus out of the lungs.

Rome has been particularly cold, wet and windy in recent days. The Pope has twice appeared at his open studio window to address crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his discharge from hospital on February 10, where he had been treated for breathing difficulties following a bout with the flu.

But he failed to show up this morning for a scheduled meeting on new candidates for sainthood. No explanation was given for his absence and the ceremony went ahead, presided by the Vatican’s number two, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

The Pope had been convalescing and had appeared to be making a rebound. At each new public appearance, he appeared stronger, more alert, and his voice was clearer.

On Wednesday, the pope wheezed and looked gaunt but managed to make his longest public appearance since leaving the hospital.

The Vatican originally had planned for the frail pontiff to address pilgrims in St Peter’s Square from his apartment window but decided instead on a video link because of the rain and winds.

In all, the Pope followed the audience for 30 minutes – the most he has appeared in public since returning from the hospital. Fully alert, he waved and gave his blessing at the end.