Billy Graham remains in fair condition

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Evangelist Billy Graham remained in fair condition Tuesday at a hospital near his mountainside home and hasn’t experienced any more episodes of intestinal bleeding, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Graham, 88, has been hospitalized since experiencing an initial bout of bleeding Saturday. He had a second episode Monday but spent Tuesday visiting with family and friends and taking walks outside his hospital room, said Merrell Gregory, spokeswoman for Mission Health & Hospitals.

The bleeding may have been caused by diverticuli, or small pouches that can form in the lower intestine, hospital officials said. A diverticular bleed often begins suddenly and may stop on its own.

Graham’s spokesman, Larry Ross, said the minister experienced a similar intestinal bleed during his 1995 crusade in Toronto.

Graham, who has a variety of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease and age-related macular degeneration, has been largely confined to his western North Carolina home in recent years. His wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June after a long illness.