Pope Francis, 86, was hospitalized in Rome on Wednesday for tests that had already been scheduled, the Vatican said.
“The Holy Father has been at (the hospital) Gemelli since this afternoon for previously scheduled checks,” Holy See press service director Matteo Bruni said in a statement, without giving further details. .
The Argentinian Jesuit, who marked his 10 years of pontificate in mid-March, participated in the morning at the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square like every Wednesday, during which he appeared smiling, greeting the faithful aboard his “papamobile”.
François, who has been in a wheelchair since May 2022 due to chronic knee pain, had already been hospitalized for 10 days at Gemelli Hospital in July 2021 for a major colon operation.
Jorge Bergoglio explained that he had “after-effects” of the anesthesia suffered during this intervention, which led him to rule out the possibility of knee surgery so far.
03/29/2023 17:47:03 – Vatican City (AFP) – © 2023 AFP