LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized with breathing difficulties and placed on a ventilator Tuesday in a recurrence of a viral infection that left him in critical condition, hospital and church officials said.
"His cardiac status is stable and there is no evidence of a heart attack," said Tom Urtz, spokesman for Lynchburg General Hospital, reading from a statement. "He is alert and responding to questions."
Falwell, 71, was admitted to the hospital shortly before midnight suffering from "respiratory arrest," the hospital said in a statement. He was put on a ventilator and stabilized but remained in critical condition, the statement said.
"Reverend Falwell is clinically stable, but is still critically ill," Urtz said.
Ron Godwin, Falwell's executive assistant, said Falwell was "on a respirator and he's resting comfortably."
"It's a reoccurrence of the viral pneumonia," Godwin said.
Doctors said they expected to have a clearer prognosis on Wednesday. A doctor is expected to brief the media on Falwell's condition at 11 a.m. Wednesday from the hospital.
Godwin told the News & Advance of Lynchburg that Falwell was driven to the hospital Monday night by his wife, Marcel.
"He lost consciousness just as they got to the hospital," Godwin said. "He slumped over as they were getting there."
But Godwin said Tuesday evening that when he visited Falwell, he was responsive.
"He smiled at me and shook my hand," Godwin said. "It seems like he's going to be able to shake this thing off."
Falwell is the founder and chancellor of Liberty University and one of the nation's leading figures in the religious right.
Falwell was in the pulpit Easter Sunday at Thomas Road Baptist Church and appeared in good health, said the Rev. Dave Randlett, a senior associate pastor.
"He always looks up so you wouldn't know if he wasn't" feeling well, Randlett said. "He was very optimistic."
The hospitalization is Falwell's second this year. He was treated in Lynchburg General Hospital for 13 days in late February and early March while battling pneumonia.
An avid sports fan, Falwell was in the crowd on March 22 when Liberty beat DePaul 88-79 in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament in College Park, Md. The victory made the Lady Flames just the second No. 13 seed to win twice in the tournament.
He also made the trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., on Saturday for the third round, where Liberty's postseason run ended in a 90-48 loss to top-seeded Louisiana State.
In an interview with The Associated Press at the university before making the trip, Falwell said he was feeling much better, but still recovering from his hospital stay.
Godwin said Falwell had "not been unreasonable" in his public schedule since his discharge. "He's been coming in at 10:30 or 11 in the morning and working until 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. This past weekend was a little busier."
Following the November presidential election, when exit polling suggested moral values had been a huge drawn for many voters, Falwell announced that he was forming The Faith and Values Coalition with plans to promote an "evangelical revolution."
Falwell said the coalition will be a "21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority," the organization credited with creating the "religious right" in the nation after Falwell founded it in 1979. Its power also made Falwell a household name.
The Faith and Values Coalition's mission will include ensuring that conservatives opposed to abortion are chosen and confirmed to fill any vacancies that emerge on the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts, a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and the election of another "George Bush-type" conservative in 2008, Falwell said.
