The 88-year-old pontiff, Pope Francis, was admitted to the hospital on Friday for tests and treatment of bronchitis, marking the latest in a series of health issues he has faced.
The Vatican announced that Francis, who has been breathless in recent days and has had officials read his speeches on his behalf, conducted his morning meetings as scheduled before going to Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
As stated, he was admitted to the hospital for “some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue treatment for ongoing bronchitis in a hospital setting.”
It reported a few hours later that two audiences with the pope scheduled for Saturday and Monday have been cancelled, and that a cardinal will conduct mass on Sunday instead of Francis.
The Argentine pope, who became the leader of the Catholic Church in 2013, will reside in a suite at the Gemelli that is reserved for papal use and features its own chapel.
The pope, who underwent surgery to remove part of one of his lungs during his youth, has been experiencing respiratory challenges for more than a week and has requested aides to read his speeches aloud for him on multiple occasions.
During his Wednesday general audience, Francis stated he “cannot yet” read his own speeches, and added with a smile: “I hope that next time I can.”
In order to recuperate and rest, he conducted meetings at home on February 6 and 7.
In the morning on Friday, the Vatican confirmed that he had meetings with five visitors, among them Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico.
The Argentine pontiff has faced health issues in recent years, yet he continues to keep a very busy schedule.
After contracting what the Vatican described as a “light flu,” he withdrew from a Good Friday event in March of the previous year but proceeded to lead Easter services as scheduled.
Francis was hospitalized for three nights in March 2023 due to bronchitis, which was treated with antibiotics.
Due to another episode of bronchitis, he had to call off his trip to Dubai in December 2023, where he was supposed to take part in the United Nations COP28 climate change conference.
In June 2023, the pope had surgery for a hernia. Additionally, in 2021, he had an operation to treat diverticulitis, which is an inflammation of pouches that form in the intestinal lining.
Since 2022, he has been using a wheelchair because of ongoing knee pain, and he uses a cane during the rare occasions when he stands.
In the last few months, Francis has also taken a couple of tumbles, resulting in a bruised forearm in January and a large bruise on his right jaw in December, both due to him toppling off his bed.
Francis rarely rests, despite his health troubles.
He concluded a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour in September 2024, which was the longest of his papacy in terms of duration and distance.
He never takes time off and maintains a hectic schedule, with sometimes as many as twelve meetings in just one morning.
Francis’s health problems often lead to speculation about his future, especially given that his predecessor, Benedict XVI, resigned due to health issues in 2013.
Francis has left the door open for resignation if he cannot fulfill his duties, but he has stated that he is not going anywhere for the time being.
Francis stated in a memoir published the previous year that he did “not have any cause serious enough to make me think of resigning”.
He wrote that resignation is a “distant possibility” that would only be justified in the case of “a serious physical impediment”.
