The Vatican said Friday that Pope Francis is on a breathing machine after suffering a sudden respiratory episode during his hospitalization. "The Holy Father, this afternoon, after a morning spent alternating between respiratory physiotherapy and prayer in the chapel,

After experiencing what doctors described as a “bronchospasm” Friday, requiring him to be temporarily put on a ventilator, the Vatican has said Pope Francis is in stable condition, but there is still no official,

As the 88-year-old pope continued treatment, the development of the spasm and subsequent complication marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat health reports.