Vatican confirms: Pope Francis is hospitalized with a respiratory infection

Pope Francis is suffering from a respiratory infection, according to a statement from the Vatican press office, and will remain hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. the juice The same source said that the pope will have to undergo “a few days of appropriate medical treatment in hospital,” making sure that the infection is not related to covid-19.

Francisco was transferred this Wednesday to that hospital and canceled hearings for the next two days. Initially, the Vatican said the aim was for pre-scheduled exams, without adding further details, including how long the 86-year-old pope would stay at Gemelli University Hospital, where he underwent surgery in 2021. The cancellation was made and there was doubt. On whether Francis will participate in Holy Week activities in the Vatican, which begin on Sunday.

Italian newspaperAnd the “Corriere della Sera” added that the supreme pontiff would have suffered from heart and respiratory problems this morning, according to a hospital source, and he was transferred by ambulance to Gemelli Hospital. The same newspaper reported that The Pope began to feel chest pains shortly after the general audience was held in St. Peter’s Square, when he was already at his residence in Santa Marta.

Francis appeared in public today, apparently in good health, during his usual public audience, although he did display a grimace of pain when entering and exiting his “Popemobile”. The purpose of Francis’ medical examinations is not clear.

The Pope had part of a lung removed when he was young, due to a respiratory infection, which explains the way he speaks, almost in a whisper. Francisco spent 10 days at Gemelli Hospital after surgery in 2021 to narrow his intestines, which involved removing 33 centimeters of his colon.

For more than a year, Pope used a wheelchair to get around, due to a strained ligament in his right knee and a small knee fracture. The pope did not undergo knee surgery because he did not respond well to general anesthesia during his 2021 bowel surgery.