After two days of resting and diagnostic tests at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis is now undergoing treatment for a polymicrobial respiratory infection, and his clinical status has been defined by the Vatican as “complex.”
In a statement Monday afternoon, the Vatican said “the results of tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract,” resulting in “a further modification of the therapy” the pope is receiving.
He was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital after his regular audiences Friday for bronchitis, and began treatment, which was later modified based on initial testing that confirmed a respiratory infection.
Monday’s update comes after further diagnostic tests were carried out over the weekend, with the Vatican saying that all tests carried out to date “are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require adequate hospitalization.”
No details have been provided on how long Pope Francis’s hospital stay could last, however, his general audience this Wednesday, Feb. 19, has been cancelled, and it is likely the rest of this week’s appointments could be suspended.
Francis has been advised to observe “absolute rest” to facilitate his full recovery and therefore skipped this weekend’s events for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture. He also cancelled his Sunday Angelus address, distributing the text for publication instead.
The 88-year-old pontiff has suffered increased respiratory infections and bouts of bronchitis in the past two years, having been hospitalized for the condition in March 2023. He also suffers from chronic sciatica and knee troubles that often force him to use a wheelchair or a cane.
He has suffered two falls in recent months, once in December resulting in a bruised chin, and once in January that caused an injury to his arm, requiring it to be placed in a sling for several days.
The pope’s current stay at Gemelli, where popes traditionally go for medical treatment, marks his fourth hospitalization there, following colon surgery in 2021, a stay for bronchitis in March 2023, and surgery to repair an abdominal hernia in June 2023.
In December 2023, he was forced to withdraw from a planned trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate summit.
