Pope Francis to remain hospitalized for ‘complex’ respiratory infection, Vatican says

Pope Francis is sick with a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, the Vatican said Monday. 

The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff was diagnosed following testing “carried out over the past few days,” the Vatican’s press office said. With the results, he’ll have a change in drug therapy.

He had initially been admitted to Policlinico Agostino Gemelli in Rome on Friday for bronchitis treatment and preliminary tests showed he had a respiratory tract infection and slight fever. 

Testing over the past days paint a “complex clinical picture,” the Vatican said Monday, and he’ll need to remain in the hospital for an “appropriate” amount of time.

Polymicrobial diseases are caused by combinations of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Pope Francis had a quiet first night in the hospital over the weekend. He spent Saturday eating, reading newspapers, praying and reading, and the Vatican described his condition as stable.

The Vatican had canceled his audiences through at least Monday. 

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Pope rested well and had another quiet night Sunday, and will continue with therapies. 

The Pope, who had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man, has suffered from influenza and related health issues repeatedly over the past two years. 

He also underwent surgery in 2021 to address a painful condition called diverticulitis and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.

The pontiff said in his autobiography, “HOPE,” which was published last month, “I am well,” adding, “The reality is, quite simply, that I am old.”

The Pope, who often uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, said: “The Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.”