Vatican says pope rests peacefully as throat swelling diminishes

Published: 2005-02-03

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The swelling in Pope John Paul II's throat, which made it difficult for him to breathe, is diminishing, and he has not had any more episodes of the voice-box spasms that led to his hospitalization Feb. 1, a Vatican spokesman said. "The general and respiratory conditions of the Holy Father have shown a positive change," Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the spokesman, said in a Feb. 3 statement. "The acute laryngeal tracheitis is in a phase of regression, and there have been no repeats of the episodes of laryngeal spasms, which motivated his urgent hospitalization," the statement continued. "The Holy Father rested peacefully throughout the night," the spokesman said. After a Feb. 3 morning visit to the pope, Navarro-Valls told reporters at the hospital that the pope's tests were "satisfactory" and that it would be up to the doctors to decide how long the pope would remain at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. The spokesman, who trained as a medical doctor, said, "In my experience, it usually is about seven days."

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