A statue of St. John Paul II is seen outside of Rome's Gemelli hospital June 8, 2023, where Pope Francis is staying after undergoing surgery to treat a hernia June 7. Because of his frequent visits over his three-decade pontificate, the Polish pope affectionately called the hospital "the third Vatican" after his second "home" at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan)
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Pope Francis on Feb. 14 was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital for testing and treatment of his ongoing bronchitis, which has plagued the 88-year-old pontiff in recent weeks.
The Vatican announced the hospitalization in a brief statement around 11a.m. local time on Friday morning and did not specify the nature of the tests or how long he is anticipated to be treated. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the pope could be admitted for up to 5 days.
Francis, who has a long history with respiratory problems, has relied on assistance from Vatican priests to read longer addresses during the past month. Despite these difficulties, on Sunday, Feb. 9, the pontiff presided over an outdoor Mass in St. Peter's Square where temperatures hovered around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Since then, he has kept up a full week of public appearances, including a Feb. 14 morning meeting with the Prime Minister of Slovakia and CNN president Mark Thompson.
According to CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb, who saw the pope on Friday morning, Francis was "mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties."
One Vatican official, who spoke with the National Catholic Reporter on the condition of anonymity, said that the pope's condition throughout the last week has put much of the Vatican on edge and that his hospitalization was overdue. The official remarked that given that the octogenarian pope feeds off the energy of crowds and being around people, it is difficult to convince him to take a break, even when battling an illness.
In late December and mid-January, Francis experienced two falls while getting out of bed at his Vatican residence. His last visit to the hospital — also related to breathing difficulties — was in Feb. 2024.
The pope's hospitalization comes amid an intense schedule of events for the 2025 Jubilee Year here in Rome, where over 30 million pilgrims are expected to visit the city.
According to the Vatican press office, the pope's scheduled Feb. 15 audience with participants in the Jubilee of Artists, as well as a Feb. 17 visit to Cinecittà studios, has been canceled.
This breaking news story has been updated.
The National Catholic Reporter's Rome Bureau is made possible in part by the generosity of Joan and Bob McGrath.
