Why Was Pope Francis Hospitalized? Condition Explained

Pope Francis is being treated at a Rome hospital for a respiratory infection warranting a few days of medical care, the Vatican said.

According to a statement Wednesday from Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni, the pope has been complaining of respiratory difficulties in recent days. Bruni stated earlier in the day that Francis was sent to Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Hospital "for some previously scheduled check-ups."

The exams revealed that the pope, 86, has a respiratory infection "that will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical treatment," read Bruni's statement. Hospital tests have ruled out COVID-19.

"Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer," Bruni said.

Prior to being admitted to Gemelli, the pope presided over the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday morning. The Associated Press (AP) reported that he "appeared in relatively good form" during the visit but had "grimaced strongly while getting in and out of the 'popemobile.'"

Francis is expected at several coming ceremonies in the following weeks, starting with Palm Sunday Mass this weekend to kick off Easter season. AP said the pope has canceled any audience meetings through Friday, although it's unclear if he will cancel plans for Holy Week.

Newsweek has reached out to the Dicastery for Communication via email for comment.

Francis' Health Since Leading the Church

Wednesday marks the first time Francis has been hospitalized since July 2021, when he underwent intestinal surgery for diverticular stenosis, a complication in the colon that can cause pain, nausea and fever when infected. AP reported that the pope underwent 10 days of surgery and had half of his colon removed. Francis has led the Catholic Church for 10 years.

The pope also had one of his lungs removed when he was a young man due to a respiratory infection, according to AP. In recent months, Francis has also been seen using a wheelchair due to knee problems.

According to a report from The New York Times, Francis has vowed on several previous occasions that he would resign if health issues ever made it impossible for him to run the church. Following his intestinal surgery in 2021, however, the pope said that he had never thought about resigning while suffering from poor health.

Recent health issues have not stopped Francis from traveling. In February, he visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, marking the first papal visit to the Congo since 1985 and the first to South Sudan since it gained independence in 2011, NPR reported.