Pope Francis is suffering from a respiratory infection and needs to be hospitalized for a few days. This was announced by the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. The head of the Catholic Church was taken to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital in the afternoon.
According to the Vatican, the 86-year-old Francis has complained of breathing problems in the past few days. The infection was then found during tests in the hospital. It is not a corona infection, Bruni said. However, “clinical therapy” is necessary.
The Pope is touched by the many messages that are currently reaching him, in which people expressed their closeness to him and assured him of their prayers.
TV interview cancelled
On Wednesday morning, the pontiff held his weekly general audience in front of thousands of believers in St. Peter’s Square. After that, a TV interview was actually planned. Francis had to cancel this and was instead taken to the hospital, according to Italian media reports.
This representation contradicts the official statement from the Vatican, according to which the stay in the clinic was planned for control reasons. In addition, observers in Rome consider it fundamentally unusual that the Pope’s doctors are said to have carried out extensive examinations so shortly before Palm Sunday and the Holy Week before Easter.
Francis underwent bowel surgery in July 2021 at Gemelli Hospital. At that time he spent eleven days in the hospital. In a recent interview, he indicated that he was having problems with his intestines again. For more than a year he has also suffered from a severe knee problem, which usually forces him into a wheelchair. Francis has so far refused knee surgery – as the Vatican has heard, the Argentine did not tolerate the anesthetic during the bowel surgery.