Pope John Paul II condition’s was said to be "improving" after being rushed to a hospital last night with breathing problems. Meanwhile, the Vatican gave assurances that there was no reason for alarm as millions of Catholic Christians around the world prayed for the 84-year-old spiritual leader.

After being rushed there late Tuesday with what the Vatican described as "acute" breathing problems, the pontiff was "improving," Italy's Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia said after visiting the Gemelli hospital in Rome where the pope was recuperating.

Following a long night of uncertainty, Sirchia sought to erase lingering doubts about the pope's condition, and confirmed doctors' cautious optimism that he would recover from his latest ordeal.

"The pope is improving. We are optimistic and the doctors are optimistic," Sirchia told reporters, though he declined to say if he had seen the pontiff personally.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls cautioned however that the pope would likely remain in hospital "for another few days, though naturally it is up to the doctors to decide."

In remarks made to journalists this morning at Gemelli Polyclinic, Navarro-Valls noted that Pope John Paul, after resting fairly well during the night, celebrated Mass from his hospital bed at 10:15 this morning with his secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz and even had a light breakfast "and some coffee."

His fever is "very, very slight," Navarro-Valls added.

According to the spokesman, last evening's hurried admission to the hospital was "a precautionary measure" given that the 84-year old Pope had difficulty breathing.

"The flu that the Holy Father has been suffering for three days was complicated this evening by an acute laryngeal tracheitis and laryngeal-spasms. For this reason it was decided to urgently admit him to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic at 10:50 p.m. this evening," the spokesman said last night.

Navarro-Valls, who is also a medical doctor, denied reports that the Pope had lost consciousness, had a CAT scan, or underwent a tracheotomy.

After leaving Navarro-Valls the hospital in late morning, about an hour after the Pope's physician had arrived, the spokesman said, "I am going home. The situation is calm. There is no reason for alarm." He added that a sign that the pope's situation is not especially worrisome is that his personal doctor arrived only in mid-morning.

According to the Vatican, this is the ninth time the Holy Father has been admitted to a hospital during his pontificate: Two of those occasions - July 1993 and August 1996 - were only for a few hours to undergo a CAT scan.




Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press