Ashish Ranjan
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis was hospitalized with a respiratory infection on Wednesday after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days. He will receive treatment for several days at a hospital in Rome.
The 86-year-old pontiff, who had a portion of one lung removed as a young man, does not have COVID-19, according to a statement released late Wednesday by spokesman Matteo Bruni.
This was Francis’s first hospitalization since July 2021, when he spent 10 days at the Gemelli hospital having 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed.
It immediately raised concerns about Francis’ overall health and his capacity to participate in the busy Holy Week events beginning this Palm Sunday.
Francis, according to Bruni, has had difficulty breathing in recent days and went to the Gemelli hospital for examinations on Wednesday.”The tests revealed a respiratory infection (excluding COVID-19 infection) that will require several days of hospitalization,” Bruni said in his statement.
Francis appeared in relatively good health during his routinely scheduled general audience earlier on Wednesday, though he grimaced while entering the “popemobile.” He nevertheless rode around the square as usual, greeting the faithful and kissing babies.
Bruni stated that Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, was appreciative of the prayers and well-wishes, including from the Italian bishops’ conference.
At the beginning of an Oval Office meeting with President Alberto Fernández of Argentina, President Joe Biden told reporters he had just learned of Francis’s health issues and expressed concern for his “dear friend.”
As a young man, Francis had a portion of one lung removed due to a respiratory infection, and he frequently speaks in a murmur. However, he survived the worst phases of the COVID-19 pandemic without any public indication of ever testing positive.
Francis was slated to celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend, inaugurating the Vatican’s Holy Week observances: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday on April 9. He has canceled all engagements through Friday, but it was unclear whether he would be able to keep his arrangements for Holy Week.
Due to strained ligaments in his right knee and a minor knee fracture, Francis has used a wheelchair for over a year. He reported that the injury was healing and has been using a cane more frequently as of late.
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Francis has also stated that he resisted knee surgery because he did not respond well to general anesthesia during his intestinal surgery in 2021.
Soon after the surgery, he reported that he had fully recovered and could eat ordinarily. Francis told The Associated Press on January 24 that his diverticulosis, or bulges in the intestinal wall, had “returned.”
