Did you know that Pope Francis had part of a lungs for years?

Pope Francis, who at 88 is hospitalized in Rome for bilateral pneumonia, lived an experience in which he was on the verge of death when he was just over 20 years old.

In 1957, in his native Argentina, he suffered a serious respiratory infection that forced doctors to remove the upper lobe of the right lung. The Pope has told that then a religious nurse saved his life by deciding to double the amount of medications that had been administered.

An episode that marked his life

According to Pope Francis in his autobiography “Esperanza”published this 2025, in August 1957, when he studied in the seminar, an epidemic of Asian flu hit the institute where he was.

All seminarians became ill, but while their teammates recovered in a few days, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio worsened progressively, according to the book. The high fever did not yield, and the usual remedies of the seminary doctor – the stomach pain, iodine for wounds and aspirin – were not enough.

His paternal grandparents were about to celebrate his golden weddings, but he could not participate, according to his autobiography. Before the aggravation of his state, a young priest who officiated as a prefect made the decision to transfer him to the Libanese Syrian hospital of Villa Pueyrredón, in Buenos Aires.

There, the seriousness of his condition became evident. A severe respiratory infection compromised his lungs and had it on the verge of death. It was then that an Italian nun, sister Cornelia Caraglio, made a determination that would save her life by duplicating the dose of antibiotics that the doctors had prescribed.

After an intervention in which they drained liquid from the lungs and removed part of one of them, Bergoglio initiated a long recovery process. His seminar companions visited him frequently and some even donated blood for their transfusions. Little by little, the fever gave in and the light began to return to his life.

This episode, counting entirely on him in the autobiography, left in him a deep teaching: “It was not the first time I felt the strength of that religious and human experience; It was not the first time that the sisters took care of me. No one can be saved alone, in no way, ”Francisco wrote.

What impact does the removal of the lung have?

On February 18, 2025, the Vatican reported that a computerized tomography confirmed that Pope Francis suffers bilateral pneumonia. In addition, new studies indicated that the respiratory infection that it faces also includes asthmatic bronchitis, which makes it necessary for antibiotics and cortisone.

The pneumonia that it suffers implies an inflammation of the pulmonary alveoli that is usually generated by a pathogen that enters through the respiratory tract and affects the lungs. It occurs more frequently in bilateral way, that is, when, as in the case of Francisco, it affects both lungs, and their magnitude depends on the patient’s response.

The alarms jumped on Monday, when it was reported that Pope Francis faced a “Complex picture “. However, on Wednesday and this Thursday he showed a “slight improvement,” according to the Vatican.

In dialogue with ACI Press, Dr. Lenin by Janon Quevedo, doctor of the Intensive Therapy Unit of the Francisco Santojanni Hospital of the City of Buenos Aires, explained that, although it cannot refer specifically to the Pope’s case due to the lack of Detailed information about your medical history, can give an overview of lung adaptation in patients who have lost part of a lung.

“When a person loses a part of the lung, there is the concept of the ‘vicarious lung’, which means that the other lung assumes the functions of the lost, allowing the lung capacity to remain almost without great changes. This compensation mechanism is also observed in double organs such as the kidneys, ”explained the bioethics professor and director of the Medicine career at the Argentine Catholic University (UCA).

Dr. from Janon said that, in the case of the Pope, “if he lost a part of his lung when he was young and then he did not present severe respiratory complications, his other lung would have assumed the function of the one that was left with less anatomical mass.”

The bronchial background and their impact on the health of the Pope

The doctor, Master in biomedical ethics and specialist in critical medicine, also explained that patients with bronchial history, such as Francisco, “usually present bronchial hyperreactivity, which means that their bronchi are more sensitive to external stimuli.”

This condition can unleash bronchospasm against respiratory infections, hindering breathing.

“In these cases, there is greater stenosis in the bronchi, that is, a partial closure that prevents the proper passage of air,” he said.

“In addition, there is an increase in mucus production, which can obstruct both the main bronchi and the smallest bronchioles. In some cases, this can lead to atelectasis, which are lung areas that lose air and compact, generating additional complications. ”

Reserved forecast

Regarding the prognosis of Pope Francis, Dr. by Janon Quevedo stressed that, being an 88 -year -old person, the situation is delicate. “Pneumonia are one of the main causes of death in older adults. However, the fact that until now has not required assistance with an artificial respirator is a positive sign. ”

However, he stressed that “gravity lies in his age, in the presence of bilateral bronchopneumonia and in his previous health history.”

In addition, he noted that “his recent physical appearance, with signs of fatigue and a visibly exhausted face, could indicate a deterioration in his general state.”

The specialist explained that “in paintings like this, antibiotics are expected to take effect within 72 to 96 hours.” However, he warned that “during this time, other organs such as the heart and kidneys could be compromised, since they usually react rapidly to severe infections.”

“We are facing a moderate, but extremely vulnerable picture,” he said.

“This means that it can improve, God wants to be so, or, failing that, worsen in a matter of hours. Older adults have this peculiarity: their health can change abruptly, as in children. The beginning and the end of life resemble in that sense, since both groups are extremely fragile, ”he concluded.

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