Pope Francis faces a \”complex clinical picture,\” the Vatican says. The 88-year-old was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday with bronchitis. A Vatican source told AFP the pope was receiving oxygen. A separate source in the pope’s entourage had earlier insisted there was \”no alarmism\” about his condition. The pontiff has suffered increasing health issues in recent years, including a hernia operation and a knee injury, but continues to maintain a busy schedule and lead events. He has been using a wheelchair since 2022 because of persistent knee pain and uses a cane during rare moments standing up. The pope has also fallen a couple of times in the past few months, bruising his forearm in January and sporting a large bruise on his right jaw in December, caused by toppling from his bed. He pulled out of a Good Friday event last year after catching what the Vatican called a \”light flu\” but went on to lead Easter services as planned. In September 2024, he completed a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour, the longest of his papacy by duration and distance. He also underwent surgery for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine, in 2021.
