Published on 14/02/2025
Pope Francis, 88, was hospitalized on Friday with bronchitis, prompting the Vatican to announce he will miss several public engagements.
The pontiff had struggled to speak during a meeting earlier that morning, raising concerns for his health. Doctors have advised rest as he recovers over the next few days.
“Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still ongoing, in a hospital environment,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The pope has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week.
Francis will not take part in a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, the Vatican said later, adding that a planned public audience on Saturday and a visit on Monday to Rome’s famed Cinecitta film studios were canceled.
Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed a case of pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed, and in recent times he has been prone to lung infections.
Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a “strong cold,” which the Vatican later described as bronchitis.
The pope held several meetings on Friday before going to hospital, news media reported.
The pope was “mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties,” news media reports.
The pope also held meetings with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, senior Vatican official Cardinal Luis Tagle and with a Catholic philanthropy group that is based in Puerto Rico.
Video of the pope’s meeting with Fico showed Francis sitting at a desk in his Vatican residence, smiling, and speaking in a soft tone.
Francis has been suffering with respiratory issues since mid-December. He begged off reading statements at several of his public events in January and February, attending the occasions but asking aides to read his prepared remarks.
The pope also had two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
Despite his periodic health issues and reduced mobility, Francis has kept up a busy schedule, including foreign travel. In September he completed a 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest of his papacy.
Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city, has a special suite for treating popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
