Pope John Paul II is getting nutrition from a tube in his nose, the Vatican said Wednesday, shortly after the frail pontiff appeared at his window in St. Peter's Square and managed only a rasp when he tried to speak.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the step was taken to "improve the pope's calorie intake" and so he can recover his strength. It was unclear when the tube was inserted but it was not visible when John Paul made his appearance.
The tube is not the only source of nutrition for the pope, a Vatican official said on condition of anonymity.
Asked about reports of a possible hospitalization, the official said there were no plans at this time and any decision would be up to his doctors.
The medical report was the first issued on the pope since March 10 - three days before he was discharged from the hospital for the second time in a month.
The statement appeared indirectly to deny media reports that the 84-year-old pope might be hospitalized again to insert a feeding tube in his stomach because of problems swallowing food.
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