Pope Francis spent a quiet night at the hospital in Rome, where he’s being treated for bronchitis that’s caused some respiratory difficulties. According to Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican Press Service, the Pope slept well and had a pretty normal morning – he even got to read the newspapers over breakfast.
Of course, his exams and treatments are still ongoing, so we’ll have to wait and see how things progress. It’s worth noting that the Pope, who’s 88, has been dealing with this bronchitis for a while now – since last week, to be exact. It got to the point where he had to stop mid-speech during his weekly general audience earlier this week.
Pope’s Health Issues
The Vatican said on Friday that the Pope’s tests showed a respiratory tract infection, and he’s also been running a mild fever. Italian media outlets are reporting that he could be in the hospital for several days, but we’ll have to wait for official word on that.
So, what’s the bigger picture here? Well, Pope Francis has been dealing with some health issues for a while now – hip problems, knee pain, operations, and respiratory infections, to name a few. And yet, despite all these challenges, he’s managed to keep a really packed schedule. I mean, the guy’s 88, and he’s still going strong – even if he does need to use a wheelchair from time to time.
History of Health Problems
Francis has had a bit of a tough time with his health, if you recall. He had part of his lung removed when he was younger, and he’s already suffered from two bouts of bronchitis in 2023. One of those episodes was so bad that he had to cancel a trip to Dubai for the UN COP28 climate conference.
These days, you’ll often see him moving around in a wheelchair, thanks to persistent knee pain – and when he does stand up, he’s usually got a cane to lean on. Oh, and he’s also started using a hearing aid, just to make things a bit easier.
As Bruni said, the Pope’s doing okay for now, all things considered. We’ll just have to keep an eye on the situation and see how his treatment goes.