Pope Francis: Vatican cancels weekend occasions amid pneumonia remedy and ongoing hospitalisation | EUROtoday

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The Vatican has cancelled numerous occasions over the weekend as Pope Francis stays in hospital after being identified with pneumonia.

Pope Francis has proven the onset of “bilaterial pneumonia” and his situation “continues to current a posh image”, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The move has cast uncertainty over further upcoming Holy Year events.

Nevertheless he is “in good spirits” and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a late update.

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The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday after experiencing worsening bronchitis symptoms for more than a week.

The Vatican has described his condition as “fair” but earlier confirmed a diagnosis of a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, requiring an extended hospital stay for “adequate” treatment.

This complex infection involves a mix of viruses, bacteria, and potentially other organisms in his respiratory tract.

No timeframe has been given for his release.

The cancellations impact the once-every-quarter-century celebration of Catholicism, intended to draw 30 million pilgrims to Rome for special Jubilee events throughout 2025.

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This weekend’s occasions, centered on deacons getting ready for priesthood, are significantly affected. A deliberate papal viewers on Saturday and ordination Mass on Sunday have been cancelled, with the Jubilee’s organising archbishop now set to have fun the Mass.

This follows an analogous association final weekend, the place a cardinal presided over a Mass for visiting artists in lieu of the Pope.

The subsequent main Jubilee occasions, scheduled for 8 to 9 March and devoted to volunteers, at the moment are additionally in query given the Pope’s ongoing well being considerations.

Francis had a part of one lung eliminated after a pulmonary an infection as a younger man and is liable to bouts of bronchitis in winter. He has admitted up to now that he’s a non-compliant affected person, and even his shut Vatican aides have mentioned he pushed himself too far even as soon as his bronchitis was identified.

He refused to let up on his busy schedule and ignored medical recommendation to remain indoors throughout Rome’s chilly winter, insisting on sitting by an outside Jubilee Mass for the armed forces on February 9 although he was having bother respiratory.

Pope Francis’s hospital admission this 12 months has already sidelined him for longer than a 2023 hospitalisation for pneumonia.

Bilateral pneumonia means pneumonia is current in each lungs.