Outside view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, where Pope Francis has been hospitalized to undergo some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his ongoing treatment for bronchitis. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)
Here's a look at Pope Francis' health history from a partial lung removal in 1957 to his entering the hospital on Feb. 14.
1957: In his native Argentina, Francis, then in his early 20s, suffered from a severe respiratory infection that forced doctors to remove part of one lung. He later recalled that a nurse saved his life at the time, deciding to double the amount of drugs he had been given.
July 4-14, 2021: He spent 10 days in Gemelli hospital in Rome for what the Vatican said was a narrowing of the large intestine. Doctors removed 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon. Francis emerged, saying he could eat whatever he wants, but lamenting he didn’t respond well to general anesthesia.
Jan. 24, 2023: The pope told The Associated Press that the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery had returned but was under control.
March 29-April 1, 2023: Francis spent three days at Gemelli with a respiratory infection after feeling a sharp pain in his chest and having trouble breathing. Doctors diagnosed an acute bronchitis and treated him with intravenous antibiotics, though Francis later said it was actually acute pneumonia.
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June 6, 2023: He underwent unspecified medical checks at Gemelli before returning to the Vatican.
June 7-16, 2023: Francis had abdominal surgery to remove scar tissue and repair an abdominal hernia and was released nine days later. His surgeon, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, revealed that the scarring was not only due to the 2021 abdominal surgery, but to previous intestinal surgeries the pope had undergone.
Feb. 14, 2025: Francis returned to Gemelli for treatment of bronchitis and further diagnostic tests, the Vatican said. The hospitalization came after Francis said Feb. 5 that he had a cold, with the Vatican reporting a day later that it was bronchitis. On Feb. 9, Francis said he was having trouble breathing as he delivered his homily during an outdoor Mass. An aide finished it for him. Francis handed off his weekly catechism lesson on Feb. 12 to an aide, saying he couldn’t read it this week because of his bronchitis but that “I hope next time I’ll be able to.”
Feb. 17, 2025: Medical personnel determined that Francis was suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning a mix of viruses, bacteria and possibly other organisms had colonized his respiratory tract.
Feb. 18, 2025: The Vatican said a CT scan revealed that Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs. New tests also showed Francis’ respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which requires the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment. “Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” the Vatican said.
