ROME — Pope Francis has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, according to a statement released Tuesday evening by the Holy See Press Office.
The pontiff was subjected to a chest CT scan Tuesday that revealed “the onset of bilateral pneumonia,” which will require further drug therapy, the Vatican notes in its statement.
A series of laboratory tests and chest X-rays combined with the pope’s clinical condition “continue to present a complex picture,” the Vatican says. As a 21-year-old in 1957, the future pope underwent pulmonary surgery during which he had part of his right lung removed due to a severe lung infection.
In March 2023, Francis was hospitalized for bronchitis and treated with antibiotics. Later that year, he again experienced lung inflammation but continued with his duties.
According to the most recent Vatican statement, the pope’s polymicrobial infection, which arose on a framework of “bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis,” and which required the use of antibiotic cortisone therapy, has created a situation where therapeutic treatment is “more complex.”
Nevertheless, “Pope Francis is in a good mood,” the statement says.
“He is grateful for the closeness he feels at this moment and asks, with a grateful heart, that we continue to pray for him,” it concludes.
Earlier in the day, the Vatican announced the cancellation of the pope’s Jubilee Audience for Saturday, February 22, suggesting that Francis’s hospital stay will exceed one week.
As Breitbart News reported, last Friday the pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital to be treated for persistent bronchitis in a proper medical environment, where he could also undergo some “necessary diagnostic tests.”
Historically, official Vatican reporting on the health of the popes, like that of Soviet leaders, has been somewhat cagey.
As one prominent Catholic news site put it in 2023, we are “unlikely to get honest announcements out of the Holy See press office, let alone real-time updates, on Francis’ health.”
The site offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the Vatican’s announcements on the pope’s health would look like like: “The pope is in perfect health.” “The pope is currently heli-skiing.” “The pope has a mild cold.” “The pope intends to complete an Ironman Triathlon next month.” “The pope died two weeks ago.”
This being the case, the Vatican’s daily real-time updates on Pope Francis’s health have seemed refreshingly candid.
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