Pope Francis no longer faces immediate danger, responding to treatment, Vatican says

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis is no longer in immediate danger of death and is responding well to treatment in hospital, the Vatican said on Monday, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.

Francis has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital for more than three weeks. He was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

In its latest medical update, the Vatican said the pope's doctors had decided to lift an earlier "guarded" prognosis, meaning the pontiff was no longer in immediate danger.

"The improvements recorded in previous days have further consolidated, as confirmed by both blood tests and clinical assessments, as well as a good response to his drug treatments," it said.

Although the doctors lifted their earlier prognosis, the Vatican said they still expect Francis "to continue medical drug treatment in a hospital setting for further days."

No exact timeframe was given for his discharge.

The pope has been described as being in a stable or improving condition for the past week, following two crises of "acute respiratory insufficiency" on March 3.

The Vatican said earlier on Monday that Francis was continuing his treatment and was undergoing respiratory physiotherapy to help with his breathing.

The pontiff, who has used a wheelchair in recent years due to knee and back pain, also continued with some physical therapy to help with mobility, it said.

The pope is receiving oxygen in hospital, using a small oxygen hose under his nose during the day and non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night while he sleeps.

LONGEST PUBLIC ABSENCE OF PAPACY

The pope has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.

Francis, who will celebrate the 12th anniversary of his 2013 election as pope on Thursday, has not been seen in public since entering hospital, the longest such absence of his papacy.

Doctors not involved in Francis' care said the pope is likely to face a long, fraught road to recovery, given his age and other medical conditions.

The pope, who is known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued to work from hospital.

On Sunday, the pope held his third meeting during his recovery in hospital with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's second-ranking official, and Parolin's deputy.

The Vatican said the pope has also been watching the live stream of an annual week-long spiritual retreat that many Vatican officials are attending as part of preparations for Easter in April.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Gavin Jones and Cynthia Osterman)