Pope Francis has had a significant improvement in his health after receiving antibiotics for a bronchitis infection, the Vatican said on Thursday. The pontiff had been hospitalized on Wednesday (29) with breathing difficulties.
Infectious bronchitis: this is the result of tests done to the #PopeFrancis at Gemelli Hospital, where he is hospitalized. According to the bulletin of @HolySeePressthe Pope is being medicated with antibiotics, which had the expected effect, with a significant improvement in his health
— Vatican News (@vaticannews_pt) March 30, 2023
“Based on the expected progress (of his health), the Holy Father may be discharged in the coming days,” the statement said.
“Pope Francis spent the afternoon at the Gemelli hospital dedicating himself to rest, prayer and some work,” the Vatican said.
The pope was unexpectedly taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties, raising new concerns about the health of the 86-year-old pontiff, who is suffering from a range of ailments.
Francis, who this month completed 10 years as pope, sometimes feels short of breath and is generally more exposed to respiratory problems. He had part of a lung removed in his early 20s, while training to be a priest in his native Argentina.
The leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics also suffers from diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon, and had surgery at Gemelli hospital in 2021 to remove part of his colon.
He said in January that the condition had returned and was causing him to gain weight, but he wasn’t too worried. He didn’t go into detail.
In addition, he has a knee problem and alternates between using a cane and a wheelchair in his public appearances.
His latest hospitalization has revived speculation about a possible resignation on health grounds, following the historical precedent of his predecessor Benedict XVI, who died in December.
However, Francis indicated that he would only follow suit if he was severely disabled.
Asked by Italian-Swiss television RSI in an interview broadcast on March 12 about what condition would lead him to give up, he said: “A tiredness that doesn’t let you see things clearly. A lack of clarity, of knowing how to assess situations”.
Source: CNN Brasil
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