A spokesman for the pope initially said that Francis had been transferred to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Wednesday to undergo previously scheduled examinations, but revealed in a later statement that in the previous days he had been suffering from “breathing difficulties”.
And the Director of Information at the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, stated that medical examinations “revealed the presence of a respiratory infection (not a Covid-19 infection), which will require a few days of medical treatment in the hospital.”
A source in the Vatican told AFP that Pope Francis’ schedule for Thursday was canceled after he was hospitalized.
The admission of Pope Francis to the hospital, which on Wednesday night led to a gathering of dozens of journalists in front of the hospital, near whose entrance a statue of the late Pope John Paul II stands, comes a few weeks after the celebration of the ten years of his leadership of the Catholic Church.
It also comes before Holy Week and Easter, the most important holiday for Christians.
Last year, Pope Francis was repeatedly forced to cancel or shorten activities because of knee pain that forced him to move around in a wheelchair.
His postponement last year of a scheduled trip to Africa and various events in the Vatican sparked intense speculation about his health, and in an interview in July 2022 he admitted that he needed to scale back his activities.
On Wednesday morning, the Argentine Jesuit pope participated in his weekly general audience with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, where he appeared smiling and greeted the crowd from the papal car.
not comfortable
But he looked uncomfortable as he got into the car.
Pope Francis was previously admitted to Gemelli Hospital for ten days in July 2021 to undergo colon surgery after suffering from diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.
In an interview in January, Francis said diverticulitis had returned.
Speculation often circulates about the health of the supreme pontiff, especially questions about whether he will follow the example of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down in a decision that shocked the world.
And Pope Francis had previously announced that he would follow the example of his predecessor if his health condition prevented him from performing his work.
But Pope Francis returned and indicated in an interview with him in February that the abdication of popes should not become a “normal matter”, stressing that this matter is not on the table at the present time.
Benedict, who died on December 31, shocked the world in 2013 when he became the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages.
In 1957, when he was 21, Pope Francis underwent an operation that removed part of one of his lungs, but he says he made a full recovery.
Pope Francis still has a busy schedule as he continues his international travels.
Earlier this year, he visited South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drawing huge crowds.
He is scheduled to visit Hungary next month and meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Over the past decade, Francis has sought to create an image of a more open and merciful church, knowing that he has faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.
