Pope Francis, 86, was hospitalized in Rome on Wednesday for “a few days” to be treated for a respiratory infection, a new warning for the head of the Catholic Church, who is suffering from recurring health problems.
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While the Holy See announced Francis’ hospitalization at noon, citing “scheduled examinations”, the Vatican spokesman said in the evening that he was suffering from a “respiratory infection”.
“In the last few days, Pope Francis has had breathing difficulties and was admitted this afternoon to the Polyclinic A. Gemelli for a medical examination,” said Matteo Bruni.
These tests “revealed a respiratory infection” unrelated to Covid-19, and the Pope will have to undergo treatment in hospital “for a few days,” he stressed.
The Vatican did not say whether the pope would be able to lead the Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican or the celebrations planned for Holy Week and Easter.
In the morning, the Argentine Pope, who celebrated the 10th anniversary of his pontificate in mid-March, took part in the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, as he does every Wednesday, where he appeared smiling and greeted the supporters of his “popemobile”. .
François, who has been in a wheelchair since May 2022 because of chronic knee pain, had already been hospitalized for 10 days in July 2021 at the Gemelli Hospital for major intestinal surgery.
In an interview in January, he hinted that his problems with the inflammation of the diverticula – hernias, or pockets that form on the walls of the digestive tract – had returned.
Jorge Bergoglio explained that he was experiencing “after effects” from the anesthetic at the time of this procedure, leading him to rule out the possibility of knee surgery so far.
His knee pain, which notably forced him to cancel several dates in 2022 and postpone a trip to Africa, is at the heart of speculation about a possible resignation.
He always left the door open to this scenario, like his predecessor Benedict XVI who had resigned and surprised the whole world.
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In July, François had confided that he could not “travel” at the same pace as before, even mentioning the possibility of “putting himself aside”.
But in February he ruled that forgoing a pope “should not become a trend” and made sure that the hypothesis was “not on his agenda for the time being”.
Caregivers follow him constantly, both at the Vatican and on his trips abroad, but his recent health problems have led him to officially create a new role, that of “personal health assistant,” for which he has appointed a sick man from Gemelli.
At the age of 21, according to his biographer Austen Ivereigh, Francis nearly died of pleurisy and in October 1957 he underwent the partial removal of one of his lungs.
In a recently published book, he recalled that episode: “I understand how people with coronavirus can feel when they’re struggling to breathe through ventilators.”
In an interview with renowned Argentine journalist and doctor Nelson Castro, he also spoke about having another operation to remove cysts from his right lung, noting that he has “fully recovered” and has “never felt restricted since.”
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was treated by a Chinese acupuncturist for back pain, his biographer wrote in columns for The Tablet Catholic, also in May.
He also suffered from “gallstones” and, according to his biographer in 2004, had a “temporary” heart problem due to a mild narrowing of the arteries.
In addition, her liver problems were resolved thanks to a change in diet.
The next appointments on his agenda include, in particular, the service on Palm Sunday in the Vatican and several celebrations of Holy Week and Easter. He is also scheduled to travel to Budapest at the end of April.