Pope Francis pneumonia diagnosis in both lungs sparks fear for 88-year-old Pontiff among Catholic faithful
Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, the Vatican said yesterday.
The 88-year-old’s respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which required antibiotic treatment.
The Vatican said Francis remains in good spirits and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery. All papal audiences have been cancelled this week.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a “fair” condition on Friday after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors confirmed a respiratory tract infection. They prescribed “absolute rest” and unnamed drug therapies.
The Vatican has given no indication of how long he might remain in hospital, saying only that the treatment would require an “adequate” stay.
Spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture.”
Following his recent ill health, Francis had resumed doing some work on Monday and made his daily call to a Gaza City parish to check in on the Catholic community. He had part of one lung removed aged 21 after a pulmonary infection and is prone to bronchitis in the winter.
He has admitted in the past that he is a non-compliant patient, and even his close Vatican aides have said he pushed himself too far even once he was diagnosed with bronchitis. He refused to ease his busy schedule and ignored medical advice to stay indoors during Rome’s chilly winter.
Earlier this month he insisted on sitting through an outdoor Mass for the armed forces even though he was having trouble breathing and had to pass his speaking duties on to an aide.
Francis’s recent hospital stint has already sidelined him for longer than a 2023 admission for pneumonia.
It comes ahead of forthcoming events of the Vatican’s Holy Year, the once-every-quarter- century celebration of Catholicism which encourages pilgrims to go to Rome to take part in special jubilee activities.
Expected to draw 30 million worshippers to Rome, the event is packed with special papal audiences and masses.
