Rome (EFE).- Pope Francis, 86, spent his first night at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome, after being admitted this Wednesday due to a respiratory infection.
It is expected that he will remain in the hospital for at least two days, during which the events scheduled on his agenda have been cancelled.
The night has passed calmly and the medical team that is in charge of his treatment is optimistic.
This has been indicated by sources on the tenth floor of the hospital, where his room is located, cited by the Italian media.
For its part, the Vatican press office reported hours after being hospitalized that the pontiff “suffers a respiratory infection that will require a few days of adequate hospital medical treatment.”
“In recent days, Pope Francis had been suffering from some respiratory difficulties and this afternoon (Wednesday) he went to the A. Gemelli Polyclinic for medical check-ups,” said the statement, which also specified that it was not a covid-19 infection.
According to the media, Francisco underwent a chest CT scan and other medical tests, and his state of health is not worrying after knowing the results.
Schedule canceled until Sunday
The hospitalization caused surprise this Wednesday, since the Vatican initially announced that the pontiff had been admitted “for previously scheduled controls”, without mentioning any reason, but the pope had scheduled an interview that same afternoon for a RAI public television program that had to be cancelled.
For the moment, the agenda for today, Thursday, and tomorrow, Friday, has also been cancelled, while next Sunday he plans to officiate the Palm Sunday mass.
We will have to see how his condition evolves in the hospital, where according to the media he is accompanied by his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, to find out if he will be able to participate in the many Easter events in which his presence is scheduled.
“Pope Francis is moved by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” the Vatican said in the statement.
It is the second time that Francis has been admitted to this Roman hospital, after the colon operation he underwent on July 4, 2021.
Since then, the Pope has only suffered a problem in his right knee that forces him to walk with a cane or use a wheelchair and has assured on several occasions that he does not want to undergo surgery.