THE Vatican has cancelled Pope Francis’ weekend engagements as the 88-year-old pontiff battles a “complex” respiratory infection.
Francis has been in Rome‘s Gemelli hospital since Friday for bronchitis treatment as fears grow over his health.
On Monday, Vatican officials revealed that his condition presented a “complex clinical picture”, requiring further medical care.
Later that evening, the Vatican said he was “stable” and did not have a fever.
Despite his illness, the Pope “read and worked” on Monday morning and was “touched by the numerous messages of affection and closeness that he continues to receive in these hours.”
The cancellations come as the Vatican prepares for the Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century celebration of Catholicism expected to draw 30 million pilgrims to Rome.
The Holy Year is packed with special papal audiences and Masses, but Francis’ illness has now cast uncertainty over his ability to participate.
This weekend’s planned event for deacons has been altered, with the Pope’s special audience on Saturday cancelled and a Jubilee Mass on Sunday now being led the archbishop organising the Holy Year.
Similar adjustments were made last weekend when a cardinal presided over a Mass for artists instead of Francis.
The next major Jubilee event that traditionally involves the Pope is scheduled for March 8-9, dedicated to volunteers.
Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, has suffered from influenza and other health problems in recent years.
He had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man, making him prone to bronchitis during winter.
Pilgrims arriving at the Vatican have been offering prayers for his recovery.
“We certainly wish for him to get better very quickly,” said Reverend Tyler Carter, a Catholic priest from the US.
“He is our father and our shepherd, and so we want his continued health and blessing.”
Medical tests have confirmed that the Pope is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection”, meaning multiple viruses, bacteria, and possibly fungi are affecting his lungs.
As a result, his drug therapy has been adjusted.
Despite Vatican doctors advising him to rest, Francis has pushed himself through a busy schedule.
How will the next Pope be chosen?
THE next Pope is chosen through a process called a papal conclave, which takes place after the current Pope dies or resigns.
Here’s how it works:
- The College of Cardinals is summoned to the Vatican
- The cardinals meet in the Sistine Chapel and vote by a secret ballot
- They will prepare for the upcoming papal elections – called a conclave
- These Catholic leaders will vote once on the first days and four times a day on each additional day
- This vote will continue until one candidate gets two-thirds of the vote
- The nominee must then accept the offer and choose their new papal name
- This outcome will be confirmed to the public when white smoke burns out of the Sistine Chapel chimney
On February 9, he ignored calls to stay indoors and sat through an outdoor Jubilee Mass for the armed forces, even though he was visibly struggling to breathe.
His current hospitalisation has already sidelined him longer than his 2023 admission for pneumonia.
The Vatican has not given an indication of how long he might remain in hospital, only stating that treating such a “complex clinical picture” will require “an adequate stay.”
