All the illnesses of Pope Francis

The silence of Pope francesco, during the celebration of Mass in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday caused concern. He read the Gospel in front of 25 thousand faithful, but his voice was tired and, visibly tired, he did not continue with the homily. The pontiff is still dealing with the after-effects of bronchitis. At the end of the celebration he spoke at the Angelus praying for the victims of the terrorist attack which occurred in Moscow on the evening of Friday 22 March. Doubts and concerns about his health remain. During his life there were many medical problems and hospitalizations.

Bronchitis

Pope Francis' respiratory problems have been ongoing since March 29, 2023. He felt ill after a general audience and was admitted to Gemelli for a pneumonia. His second hospitalization since he became pope. It was the eve of Holy Week and he stayed in hospital for 3 days. Precisely to avoid being exposed to the cold he gave up the Via Crucis.

In November 2023, on the advice of doctors, he gave up the trip to Dubai for Cop28. In that case too he had “acute and infectious bronchitis”. Again due to bronchitis, his activity stopped in December 2023 and the following January he stopped due to the flu. At the end of February 2024 he went to the Gemelli polyclinic on the Tiber island for a CT scan of his lungs.

Colon

It was July 2021 when Pope Francis was hospitalized for a Symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon. He was 84 years old at the time and was indicated as a scheduled operation with about ten days of hospitalization. Diverticula are growths on the outside of the intestine that can become inflamed and lead to abdominal pain and fever.

Sciatica

The Pope often had pain due to inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These compromise his ability to walk and kneel. It particularly suffered in late 2020 and early 2021.

Cataract

In 2019, Pope Francis underwent surgery cataract. The operation took place at the Pio XI Clinic in Rome. The pontiff had anticipated the need for the intervention by telling some inmates during a visit to the Regina Coeli prison. Il Messaggero reports his words: «A renewed gaze does good because, for example, at my age cataracts come and you can't see reality well. Next year I have to have surgery.”

Gonalgia

For some years the pontiff has had a knee problem which forces him to use a cane and wheelchair to get around. The problem arises from the Pope's posture, from his wrong way of walking which leads him to put more weight on the right knee joint. This has weakened and the ligament has worn out. This is how he spoke in 2022 to the bishops whom he had not been able to welcome standing: «There is a problem, this leg is not good, it doesn't work, and the doctor told me not to walk. I like to go, but this time I have to obey the doctor. For this reason I will ask you for the sacrifice of going up the stairs and I will greet you from here, sitting down.”

Pneumonia

At 21 years old, when he lived in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio he had the upper lobe of his right lung removed due to three cysts. It was 1957 and the pope remembers that event well. He said: «When I recovered from the anesthesia, the pain I felt was very intense. It's not that I wasn't worried, but I always had the belief that I would recover.” And again: «I have never felt any limitation in my activities».