Pope Francis will not be participating in scheduled events over the weekend, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, citing the pontiff’s ongoing health issues.
Francis was admitted to the Policlinico A. Gemelli, a medical facility in Rome, on Friday and a series of tests indicated a “complex clinical picture,” the Vatican said on Monday.
Doctors changed his drug therapy accordingly, and on Monday evening, the Vatican said that his condition was “stable” and that he did not have a fever.
The Vatican said that Francis had a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection.” That means that the Pope has a mix of microbes, like viruses or bacteria, infecting his lungs or another part of his respiratory tract.
The Vatican said that the pope would not be attending events for deacons, scheduled for this weekend, canceling an audience on Saturday and delegating a Vatican prelate to celebrate a Mass for him on Sunday. Last week, Francis was unable to attend another scheduled event, for artists, at the Vatican.
This is the fourth time Francis has stayed at the Gemelli hospital. In 2021, he had colon surgery there. He was admitted for a respiratory infection in 2023 but went home after three days. He was hospitalized again a few months later to undergo abdominal surgery for a hernia.
Last February, he underwent diagnostic tests at the Gemelli hospital after a slight flu. As a young man he had the upper lobe of his right lung removed, and he is prone to bouts of influenza and bronchitis during the cold winter months. His medical challenges have increased in recent years. Because of knee problems and sciatica nerve pains, he often uses a wheelchair, walker or cane.
Francis’ engagements have increased since the start of the 2025 Jubilee — a year of faith, penance and forgiveness of sins that takes place every quarter-century — which opened on Christmas Eve.
Millions are expected to make a pilgrimage to the Vatican this year, and Jubilee events for different groups of people are scheduled over the next 10 months.
