The Vatican on Wednesday said that Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome, after complaining of breathing difficulties in recent days.
Canceling the Pope’s meetings for the next two days, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that medical checks were carried out on the 86-year-old at the Gemili hospital and a respiratory infection was spotted.
“In recent days Pope Francis has complained of some breathing difficulties,” Bruni said, issuing a statement. Adding that Covid 19 has been ruled out, he said that the pope would still “require a few days of hospital medical therapy.”
Francis’s hospitalization has raised doubts over whether he will be present for the Vatican’s Holy Week activities. Francis is also due to celebrate Palm Sunday this week, which will formally kick off the Holy Week.
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After beginning with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the Holy Week ends with Easter Sunday, which celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
At the moment it is not clear if Francis will be there to kick off the celebrations at the Vatican. So far, the Vatican has canceled his appointments for the next two days only, which means officially he is still set to attend Palm Sunday this weekend.
When he was still young, Francis had a part of his lung removed due to a respiratory infection. More recently, in 2021, he underwent an intestinal narrowing surgery. Since last year, he has been using a wheelchair due to a strained ligament in his right knee as well as a small knee fracture.