Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome this Wednesday and canceled the audiences for the next two days. The Vatican initially said Francis would undergo pre-scheduled tests, but later confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a respiratory infection.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis, 86, will have to stay “several days to receive adequate medical treatment” at the Gemelli University Hospital, where he underwent surgery in 2021. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the leader of the Catholic Church was to the hospital for tests after complaining of shortness of breath.
Following the Vatican’s confirmation, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that, according to hospital reports, Francisco arrived by ambulance and “had heart and respiratory problems.”
According to the same newspaper, the Pope felt chest pain after the general audience held in Saint Peter’s Square and the personal nurse advised, “out of prudence”, that tests be done.
Papal audiences through Friday have been cancelled, raising questions about whether Francis will take part in Holy Week activities at the Vatican, which begin on Sunday.
Francis appeared publicly this Wednesday, apparently healthy, during his usual general audience, although he showed expressions of pain when getting in and out of the “Popemobile.”
The Pope had part of a lung removed when he was young, due to a respiratory infection, which explains his almost whispering way of speaking.
Francisco spent 10 days at the Gemelli hospital following his 2021 surgery for intestinal stricture, which included the removal of 33 centimeters of his colon.
For more than a year, the Pope has used a wheelchair to get around, due to strain on the ligaments in his right knee and a small knee fracture.
The pope did not have knee surgery because it did not respond well to general anesthesia during his 2021 bowel surgery.
Updated news at 7:42 pm
Source: TSF
