Double pneumonia is a severe infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe. He has not been seen in public since entering the hospital, his longest absence from view since his papacy started in March 2013,

Pope Francis has been placed back on mechanical ventilation following medical episodes after 17 days in the hospital. The Vatican announced in

Pope Francis suffered two new acute respiratory crises Monday and was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation, in another setback to his battle to fight pneumonia, the Vatican said. Doctors extracted “copious” amounts of mucus from his lungs during two bronchoscopies,