Pope Francis Spent ‘Goodnight’ In Hospital Despite Breathing Problems

ITALY: Pope Francis, who was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday with a respiratory infection after having trouble breathing, had a restful night there, a Vatican official said on Thursday. 

After recent breathing issues, the 86-year-old pontiff was brought to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Wednesday afternoon (local time) for examinations. Francis, who had a portion of one lung removed when he was a young man, does not have COVID-19, according to the Vatican, but he will stay in the hospital for a few days of treatment. 

It is unclear how Francis' hospitalisation will affect the Vatican's Holy Week celebrations, which include Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday on April 9. Francis is scheduled to celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend. 

Following the removal of 33 centimetres (13 inches) of his intestines and ten days spent at the Gemelli hospital in July 2021, it was Francis' first hospitalisation. Following the procedure, the pope claimed he was totally recovered and able to eat regularly.

Francis said that his diverticulosis—bumps in the intestinal wall—had "returned" in a statement on January 24. The pope had appeared to be in rather good health during his regularly scheduled general audience on Wednesday before he was admitted to the hospital, though he grimaced noticeably getting into and out of the "popemobile." 

Francis has been using a wheelchair for over a year, despite recently using a cane more frequently due to strained ligaments in his right knee and a minor knee fracture. Because of how poorly he handled general anaesthesia during the 2021 intestinal surgery, he has said he has resisted having surgery for his knee issues.

Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church, the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Francis is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the 8th century papacy of Syrian pope Gregory III.

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