Vatican said episodes were caused by 'significant accumulation' of mucus in the lungs. Pope was admitted to hospital in Rome on February 14 Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital, suffered two episodes of "acute respiratory insufficiency" on Monday and required use of non-invasive,

Francis had inhaled “copious” amounts of mucus in another setback in what has become a more than two-week battle to overcome a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia.