Pope's Medical Condition Stabilizes

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II's condition is stable after he was hospitalized overnight for the flu, though he continues to have respiratory difficulties, says a Vatican spokesman.

This morning, Joaquín Navarro Valls, director of the Vatican press office, published a statement to report on the state of health of the Pope, who had spent the night at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.

Shortly before leaving the hospital, the spokesman said that "the situation is calm" and that the Holy Father was presiding at the Mass -- being celebrated by his secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz -- from his bed.

"During the night, the therapies of respiratory treatment that allowed the stabilization of the medical picture continued," Navarro Valls said in his statement. "The cardio-respiratory and metabolic levels, at this moment, are currently within normal range."

"Thus, the diagnosis of acute laryngeal tracheitis with episodes of larynx-spasm, which I communicated last night, is confirmed," added Navarro Valls. "During the night the Holy Father rested for several hours."

The medical team monitoring the Pope's condition is headed by Rodolfo Proietti, director of the emergency ward, added Navarro Valls.

John Paul II was rushed to the hospital at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, as a precautionary measure, the Vatican spokesman said earlier.

The Holy Father is staying in the room he has occupied several times, which the Gemelli hospital has reserved for him since the 1981 assassination attempt.

The Holy See announced Monday the cancellation of the Pope's audiences, while waiting to see how the situation unfolds.